JourneyForth’s The Daniel Dilemma: Real Courage for Real Life by Rand Hummel is the perfect Christmas gift to jump-start your teen’s study of Scripture in the new year. After hearing adults sing Daniel’s praises for years, your teen may view the prophet’s youthful diligence and lifelong loyalty in the face of immense pressure as a little unreal. In this book, Hummel succeeds in lifting Daniel off the flannelgraph, fleshing him out, and polishing him to a brilliant sheen. Even better—he showcases Daniel’s great God. 
The Daniel Dilemma is divided into two sections. The first tells Daniel’s story with due attention to what he was really up against. Talk about a stressful life! Hummel points out that Babylon’s strategies of isolation, indoctrination, identification, and intimidation are the same ones used to cripple Christians today. From Nebuchadnezzar to Belshazzar, the enemy’s darts─pulled from Satan’s age-old arsenal of “brainwashing” techniques─were custom-made for Daniel. And today’s teens are the new target—as they make their way in a largely nonbelieving world. But the author goes on to show that it was the consuming desire of Daniel and his companions to glorify God that steadied and kept them faithful in middle of the political storms the Lord put them through.
The second half of the book is an in-depth look at what constitutes courageous leadership. Scripture texts from Daniel introduce each chapter, and Hummel follows up with practical application, personal testimony, and anecdotes—all communicated in the fatherly tone forged by the author’s many years as a youth pastor and camp evangelist. Enumerating fourteen “laws of courageous leadership,” Hummel tutors his readers in how to be what he terms “show and tell Christians.”
The Daniel Dilemma: Real Courage for Real Life will help teens to better know Daniel’s God as their God—the strength of every generation in the face of any temptation.
Read a sample chapter of The Daniel Dilemma: Real Courage for Real Life.
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