Archive for September, 2006

September 27, 2006

A Place to Finally Belong
Amy worried about being rejected at youth group.
by Amy Nickerson
Campus Life article, Sept, 2006

EXCERPT
Leaning against the wall, I looked around at all the students crowded into the purple and black youth room. Relient K blared through the sound system, mixing with the loud laughter and chatter of others in the room. But I wasn’t a part of it. Instead, I stood by myself, unnoticed. This happened every single time I went to youth group.

Check out the rest of the article at http://www.christianitytoday.com/cl/2006/004/12.18.html.

FROM SUZIE: In my home church there is a gulf between the teens. It’s an amazing youth group. The pastor cares about each and every person who walks through the door. Worship is intense and awesome.

But there’s the “unchurched” and “churched” and it appears that they are existing on two different planets, but in the same room.

I wonder what would happen if one person — from any direction — would walk over and make friends? It’s something that our youth pastor is praying about, working on, and asking God for direction.

Maybe it’s as simple as getting out of your comfort zone. What do you think?

RTF NOTE: We’ve lost the ability to format font, add links or pics, and more to our blog for some reason. Hopefully we’ll be back to normal soon!

Filed under: teens making a difference, real articles

September 26, 2006

I need a bible scripture or advice about jealousy and real beauty because I get jealous easily, especially about apearance. Like, I believe that other girls are more beautiful than me. That’s why I look for scriptures about what real beauty is in the eyes of Jesus Christ. I am having a hard time finding one.

Than you very much. =] Alyssa

RTF Response:

Hi Alyssa,

More than any other generation, this one struggles with body image.

Body image issues can come from many sources, but the overriding demand is to conform to fit someone else’s idea body image. (more…)

Filed under: real advice

September 21, 2006

Most Twentysomethings Put Christianity on the Shelf Following Spiritually Active Teen Years
September 11, 2006
(Ventura, CA)

A new study by The Barna Group (Ventura, California) shows that despite strong levels of spiritual activity during the teen years, most twentysomethings disengage from active participation in the Christian faith during their young adult years - and often beyond that. In total, six out of ten twentysomethings were involved in a church during their teen years, but have failed to translate that into active spirituality during their early adulthood. (more…)

Filed under: real articles, real issues

September 19, 2006

~Real Word~

After all this, Joseph of Arimathea (he was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, because he was intimidated by the Jews) petitioned Pilate to take the body of Jesus. Pilate gave permission. So Joseph came and took the body.

Nicodemus, who had first come to Jesus at night, came now in broad daylight carrying a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.

They took Jesus’ body and, following the Jewish burial custom, wrapped it in linen with the spices. (more…)

Filed under: real word

September 13, 2006

An article in the Rockford Register Star quoted a group of teens who wanted to give a heads up on what is in and what is out.

You just might be surprised at what they said:

What’s out: Ditching school, smoking and drinking.

What’s in: Working on community service projects, attending drug-free concerts and doing what’s right for your future.

How cool is that? It’s not just a group of teens talking smack, but a large community of teens who meet and call themselves the nFactor.

“N” is for “now is the time”.

It’s a youth movement. A revolution of sorts — to get out from under the stereotyped image handed down in this culture. (more…)

Filed under: real articles

September 8, 2006

From Flipswitch series - BUZZ
by Marcus Brotherton

Only 64 pages, but packed with graphics, quizzes, factoids, and. . .

TRUTH.

One half of the book is about the BUZZ of alcohol and drugs, then you flip it over and you get to read about the BUZZ of faith.

Here’s an excerpt from page 21.

You know it. When asked to choose your favorite TV commercial in a recent study of teenagers, television, and alcohol ads, more of you chose Budweiser than any other brand, including Pepsi, Nike, and Levis. This past year you saw more television ads for beer than gum, skin-care products, cookies and crackers, chips, nuts, popcorn and pretzels, sneakers, noncarbonated soft drinks, and jeans. (more…)

Filed under: real review

September 7, 2006

“The highest reward for a person’s work is not what they get for it, but what they become because of it.” - John Ruskin

Today’s Country: Afghanistan

From Operation World

The Taliban take-over of the country has imposed the strictest interpretation of Islam in the world today. The results have been devastating for the economy and for the lot of women in society. All Afghans must comply with the strict codes imposed on dress, beards, education and observance of shari’a law. What little religious freedom existed has been terminated.

Non-Muslim figures may be now much lower than these stated. No Christian churches are permitted. The number of Afghan Christians is estimated to be 1,000 to 3,000. Some Christian expatriate workers have been permitted to serve in relief and social uplift programmes. (more…)

Filed under: real missions

September 6, 2006

Sunday, September 3rd, 2006 - London
India Enews.com

Born-again Christian Stephen Baldwin is happy that his teenage daughter is taking religion seriously as she has vowed to remain a virgin until she weds.

According to contactmusic.com, Baldwin believes turning his family onto Christian values is the best thing he could have done because his daughters have never been happier.

Read rest of this article. (more…)

Filed under: real articles