Archive for April, 2006

April 29, 2006

~Real Link~

Do you love Christian Rock and Alternative music? Check out New Horizons Radio. This site not only offers you tunes (features one of the largest playlists around), they offer CD reviews and more. Listen to your favorite musical artists online today.

New Horizons Radio

Filed under: real links

April 28, 2006

“When the heart is not being fascinated, when the heart is not being won over, it will pursue anything to move it ? and is therefore ripe for the seeds of compromise to be planted.” - Dwayne Roberts, One Thing (more…)

Filed under: real quote

April 25, 2006

~Real Question~

Hi! I was wondering how you think I could get my friends and family to become chrisians, or at least go to church with me and believe in God? Cuz I think its really awesome. Can you give me some thoughts about what to do? Thanks a lot. God Bless, and thanks. Rachel

~RTF Response~

Hi Rachel, I think it’s awesome that you love God so much that you want to share it with your friends and family. Knowing him is amazing. (more…)

Filed under: faith, friendship, real advice

April 24, 2006

~Real Article~

God’s Blessing More Obvious to Teens
Canton Rep, Canton, OH
April 6, 2006
by Melissa Griffy Seeton

Nicole Hess will never underestimate the value of a pair of clean, dry socks again.
In fact, the 16-year-old paid a dollar for a pair when she found herself partly soaked as rain poured down on her Friday night. Hess, a Hoover High School sophomore, was homeless, wet and cold — a result of little doing on her own part. . . (Click link to read rest of article)

~Real Issue: Homelessness~

Several teens were excited about their youth group’s mystery trip, until they found out it was a Poverty Simulation Project. For three days they were cold, dug through dumpsters for aluminum cans, talked to the homeless to hear their perspective, and slept outside in the rain. (more…)

Filed under: real articles

April 21, 2006

I received a copy of the galley of the first book in my discipleship series for teens. The title is: Making It Real - Whose Faith is It Anyway?

Every time a new book arrives on my doorstep it’s like giving birth. You’ve thought about it. You’ve made the decision to have “the baby”. You write and write and write some more.

And then you wait.

Several months later the baby is born.

Because there’s so much time that passes between the birth of the idea and the birth of the book, you see it with fresh eyes when it arrives on your doorstep.

I stood by my kitchen counter and read through the entire book without moving. Tears ran down my face because I saw God’s hand on it.

My heart is teens. My passion is my faith. My longing is for teens to know God on an intimate level — in such a way that they can live their faith out loud and yet also behind closed doors. I want teens to know the amazing relationship that you can have with the God of the universe. I want faith to override the effects of culture and the decisions and opinions of adults as young followers of Christ discover just where God is leading them.

Sometimes when you are writing, it’s hard to see the big picture because things like deadlines seem to bog you down.

But today I saw the big picture and I cried because God let me be a small part of building his kingdom.

How cool is that?

Filed under: RTF books

April 20, 2006

Americans are willing to expend some energy in religious activities such as attending church and reading the Bible, and they are willing to throw some money in the offering basket. Because of such activities, they convince themselves that they are people of genuine faith. But when it comes time to truly establishing their priorities and making a tangible commitment to knowing and loving God, and to allowing him to change their character and lifestyle, most people stop short. We want to be ’spiritual’ and we want to have God’s favor, but we’re not sure we want him taking control of our lives and messing with the image and outcomes we’ve worked so hard to produce.” - George Barna

Filed under: real quote

April 19, 2006

~Real Question~

Can I have a boyfriend even if my mom won’t let me? Can I tell my mom? Can I kiss him? Should I kiss him? I love him, should I tell my mom? Should I tell my mom that I want to marry him?

~RT Response~

You should talk with your mom. You don’t say how old you are, but I sense that you are fairly young. There is so much ahead of you and so many experiences that you have yet to encounter. (more…)

Filed under: family, real advice

April 18, 2006

~Real Review — Music~

Building 429 - Rise
from Group Magazine’s Bryan Belknap, the culture connoisseur

Building 429 perfects their anthem rock on their sophomore release Rise. They mine every cranny of the middle ground between U2 and Creed, quite possibly finding the perfect conduit for Christian music that appeals simultaneously to soccer moms and the middle schoolers inhabiting their SUVs. More…

~Real Review — Movie~

Take the Lead
Rated PG-13 for thematic material, language, and some violence.
reviewed by Steven Harrell, Planet Wisdom

“Take the Lead” follows a classic Hollywood formula of combining a recent pop-culture trend (in this case, ballroom dancing) and its extreme social opposite (hip-hop dancing) to create a surprisingly heartfelt story filled with trust, hope, and some pretty sweet dance moves. (more…)

Filed under: real review