In 1994 the Lord impressed upon my heart to develop a Wednesday night program for our youth group. This program was designed to encourage the teens to read and study God’s Word. I called it the Straight-Up Club because Straight-Up is slang for TRUTH. We know that kids are being lied to from every corner of their lives. They truly need to be in God’s Word on a regular basis. Parents, Pastors and Youth Pastors, as their spiritual mentors, must give young people a means to accomplish this goal. The Straight-Up Club concept was simple. Each week every teen received a half sheet page with seven days worth of Bible reading on it and a place to make comments. Everyone had a special Straight-Up Club binder to place their pages in. We gathered together on Wednesday nights, sat in a circle and discussed each day of Bible reading and what we gained from it. Not everyone shared, but some did. I always had something to say. It’s amazing how many short sermons you can preach in one hour!

Not long after I thought it would be profitable to produce a series of novels for young people called The Straight-Up Club Mysteries. The stories revolve around four teens, from a local church youth group, who are devoted to their Bible study and sanctification. They are just a remnant of the whole youth group (which is many times the case) and the quartet are a tight bunch. They get involved in different cases. As the teens get deeper and deeper into what ever investigation they may be in, and as they fall into different adversities, the Straight-Up Club begin to exercise the Biblical principles they have read about and studied in God’s Word. Through these trials and temptations the four see how God never leaves them nor forsakes them. He is always helping and guiding them by His Word and the truth therein. He is growing them to become exactly what He wants them to be for His glory.

There was one huge problem. I had this idea, but I can’t write! In June of 2008 I met a young man and a gifted writer, Jesse Muehlbauer, who caught my vision and together we are authoring this series. We pray that the Biblical truths which are weaved throughout each book along with the gospel that is clearly presented will be a help to many young people and their families.

1st of the series

Retail $10.99

134 pages