Abbie Says:

Okey dokey! After the highly sophisticated method of scribblings the entries on a pieces of paper, folding them up and then randomly picking one…
the winner is… (more…)

By Guest Writer LuraKate Pijanowski

I have a self-esteem issue. It’s not just an issue, though — it’s actually a huge problem in my life.

Recently I signed up to go on a mission trip to New York City, and I was worried about what others thought of me, and how I was going to get along with everyone on the trip. The first day of the trip I was so nervous about whether or not people liked me, that I had a panic attack while serving in a soup kitchen. (more…)

by Mary Ann Frazier

I was hanging out with some friends recently. It was just after we had seen a movie, and we stopped by a store on the way home. 

Old feelings rose up in me. Feelings of worthlessness, rejection, and ugliness. At first they succeeded in bringing me down, but why was I was looking at what the world thinks of me instead of remembering what God thinks of me?

So I asked God to help me. A moment later, I snuck a peek at a randomly chosen verse in a little Bible booklet I had.

 At least I thought it was random.

The first words I saw were, “Christ in you, the hope of glory”. It was exactly what I needed to hear!  (more…)

by B.J. Hamrick

Summer camp has always been a favorite pastime of mine. Red hot dogs, cold showers, and blue food-coloring in my sister’s makeup (score!).

A while back I was asked to write an advertisement for a camp I attended as a kid. After I finished the ad the staff asked, “Do you think you could write something that would make kids WANT to come to camp?”

So I set out to do just that. I wrote about goats. And chickens. And bears. And plastic spiders under pillows. I wrote about toothpaste in the centers of Oreos.

The part the staff was really asking about, though, was would I… would I… would I (dare I say it?)… write about my CHANGED HEART?

See, summer camp changed me. Yes, I was still a practical joker. But somewhere between sewing up the legs in someone’s underwear (I have Lissa Halls Johnson to thank for that idea) and pouring ice down the backs of my friends (why did ANYONE hang out with me?), some truth erupted in my heart.

You know how it is. Campfires. Songs. Required devotions. Beautiful scenery. All these things left me begging for more of God. All these things left me knowing that I wanted Him more than anything. All these things left me praying that the change in my heart would last… forever.

In the words of Bebo Norman:

It’s a better place
Standing high upon this mountain
I’ve seen Your face
Full of the light
That holiest height
Can show…
~Bebo Norman

I think it’s that way for a lot of us. Whether we go to camp or not, God’s voice is a little easier to hear during these summer months.  There aren’t as many distractions. We’re on the proverbial mountaintop.

Then Life Happens.

Trust me, I’ve been there. And my friends have been there too. Over the years, we’ve wondered… what can we do to see our God-relationship thrive once the stresses of life hit again?

So as we head back to school this fall, here are a couple of things to help guide us on our way:

• Make time for God. We can’t hear Him speak unless we stop and listen. And what a blessing to experience more of Him! Be still and know that I am God…

• Avoid practical jokes. Just kidding.

• Keep hanging out with people who love Him. It’s easier to stay on track when others are walking in the same direction.

• Get up and try again when we’ve failed. Every relationship has ups and downs… why shouldn’t our relationship with God be the same way?

So let’s plan ahead before school starts. The awesome thing is – if we trust Him, God will make the changes in our hearts last a lot longer than red hot dogs or blue make-up. (And that’s a good thing, because my sister didn’t look that great as a blue smurf anyway.)

****
BJ Hamrick loves to live and laugh on her blog, www.bhhamrick.com. She’s also super-excited to be a part of Real Teen Faith.

Do you wish you knew what it meant to be “called”?

Do you feel that God is leading you into ministry, but have no clue how to take the next step?

Do you want a mentor, but don’t know where to find one?

Check out Explore the Call, a site that offers podcasts where mentors share what it means to be called, how they started, and they answer questions from teens who want to make a difference.

It also offers links to sites that offer even more information, as well as interactive elements like a blog. It’s a great spiritual mentor site that is new and growing, and filled with content that will answer the big questions you’ve been asking about changing the world.

Jamin Goecker, RTF Staff 

Joshua Guthrie, 16, and his family has given things such as goats to people in poorer countries through an organization known as World Vision. At the age of 15, he set a goal to raise $8000 to put the project into affect. World Vision served as the inspiration for the project, but Joshua worked through an organization known as Baptist Global Response.

Jamin Goecker: Did you ever envision yourself doing something like this [raising funds for wells in Africa]?

Joshua Guthrie: In order to answer this, I need to give a bit of a background. My parents have always taught my sister and I to have a desire to give to the needy, and we have been supporters of World Vision for as long as I can remember. In case you are not familiar with them, they are an organization which focuses on taking funds from their supporters and getting it put to good use around the world for various needs. We have supported several children thought their organization, and my sister and I have made purchases at Christmases for needy children. I remember when we bought a goat once.

Anyway, if you are a supporter of the organization then you receive a catalogue from them once a month (I think). This catalogue contains items which you purchase not for yourself but for others around the world. It contains things such as farm animals, clothing, medicine, and irrigation supplies/tools, among many other things. Well, there happened to be a section dedicated to wells in the catalogue, and I had always thought it would be really cool to purchase one of the biggest items in the catalogue: the $10,000 well.

Just to clarify at this point: DfaD is not working through World Vision; we are working through Baptist Global Response (BGR). World Vision was simply my inspiration to want to get started on something
I really started to think a little more seriously about wanting to get one of those wells at the beginning of 2008; I was 15 at the time. Well, being 15 I knew that I wouldn’t be able to save up for it all myself; I would have to raise it.
All of this to come to the answer to your question: yes and no.

I believe that I had always known that the possibility existed (all things are possible with God, after all!), but if you had asked me at the beginning of 2008 if I thought I would be doing a fundraiser for wells in Africa over the fall of that year then I would have probably answered no. I knew that I had the desire to do something, I just didn’t know how to get started.

Jamin Goecker: Did you see yourself as a leader when you started? (more…)

by Debra Weiss, RTF Staff Writer

DW: On your site, you state that femininity isn’t dead, it just needs to be reclaimed. What is the Biblical definition of femininity and how can we as young women reclaim it?

Hannah: Whew! What a question! Biblical womanhood is a controversial issue these days, and it’s difficult to define it in a single paragraph. A bare bones definition of “femininity” is simply “womanly-ness.” For us, that means being the women God calls us to be through His Word.

It means knowing that we’re equal in worth to the guys, but differ in our design and role. (Think of it like harmony and melody; they’re both different, but work together to make a more beautiful sound than either could alone.) But by “role,” I don’t mean that women are held captive to one specific cookie-cutter pattern. Our God-given talents cannot contradict our God-given femininity.

We’re meant to use all of our gifts–though our talents might not be displayed in the way the world generally expects women to use them. At the same time, obedience to God brings true freedom; the girl who submits to God’s role for women finds more joy than she could’ve ever concocted for herself.

DW: I have three younger sisters. One of them is nine and I’ve always wondered how do you leave behind a legacy not of physical beauty but of spiritual beauty, a beauty that does indeed come from the heart. Any thoughts on how we as girls can influence our younger sisters?

Lindsey: Oh, that’s a convicting one. I have two younger sisters also (ages 12 and 8), so this question really resonates with me; I’m always asking it too.

As the oldest, it’s been so important for me to recognize just how much our younger sisters do imitate us. We even have the potential to set the mood of a day by our example! (more…)

by Debra Weiss, RTF staff writer

When Hannah Farver and Lindsey Wagstaffe started Beauty from the Heart, it was a small blog devoted to encouraging girls to seek real beauty. But God had big plans for these two teenage girls!

The blog grew into a thriving website that quickly became one of the most popular sites for Christian girls on the net. Even more doors opened, and Hannah and Lindsey began speaking at conferences, sharing the message God had put on their hearts.

Today, Hannah Farver and Lindsey Wagstaffe sat down to talk to Real Teen Faith about beauty, plastic surgery, and femininity.

Debra Weiss: Hi Lindsey and Hannah! We’re so excited to have you here at Real Teen Faith today. What led to you two to start Beauty from the Heart? Did you both wonder if God could use ordinary girls like yourselves?

Hannah: Well, when Beauty from the Heart began, it was just a blog. We had different contributors and definitely enjoyed that stage of posting; but as time passed, we knew that Beauty from the Heart would eventually step extend outside the web. When I was sixteen (in 2006) I began writing a book based on the ideas we’d worked through on the blog. Five drafts later and three years afterwards, we’re working with a literary agent on publishing that book. (Yay!)

In 2008, Lindsey and I felt we should pray with our parents about the possibility of putting on a conference or two. That October, a friend called Lindsey and I out of the blue and invited us to speak in Virginia. Six months later, and we have three events scheduled for this summer and doors opening for more next year.

Of course, we did wonder, have wondered, and still wonder how God could possibly use people like us. We panic way too quickly and sometimes do feel overwhelmed with all the work on our plates. But as William Carey said, “Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God.” In the end, that’s all any of us can do! Whatever happens, the results are in God’s hands. We just need to be willing vessels.

DW: The world today seems to be facing a ‘beauty crisis’. What are the dangers of defining words like modesty or beauty according to the world’s standards?

Lindsey: Romans 12:2 warns us not to “be conformed to the image of this world”, but urges us to pursue transformation by the renewal of our minds. When we define words like “modesty” and “beauty” according to the culture we live in, we aren’t taking our cues from Christ, but from fellow sinners– who will lead us into sin. That’s never safe. We can’t redefine modesty by modern standards without sacrificing the truth of the text, and undermining the authority of the Bible. From there we’ll only continue to slide further and further into worldliness, not Christlikeness.

DW: What is the true Biblical definition of beauty?

Hannah: The Bible talks about the magnificence of God’s creation. We know He designs all things well; in the Song of Solomon, a bride is praised for her external beauty, so we know that exists. But in the New Testament, another kind of beauty is talked about as being more valuable than the rest–and that’s the “unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit.” So while God made every creature magnificently, and human beings most of all, the very highest beauty aspiration we could have is something that God works in our hearts to create inside of us.

DW: How do you feel about cosmetic surgery when used to fix ‘flaws’ like a large nose or small breasts? Should girls have plastic surgery?

Lindsey: Plastic surgery is quite valid in some cases– I’m grateful for modern technology that allows us to correct cleft lips and reconstruct bones after accidents. But the majority of plastic surgery that teen girls undergo is cosmetic, not serious, and it stems from self-absorption (displayed through insecurity and vanity). There’s a difference between taking care of our appearances and making drastic alterations out of dissatisfaction… and, I think, a craving for more attention.

Stay tuned — come back tomorrow for part 2