by RTF Editor 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? (more…)

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!) (more…)

Debra Weiss interviews Laura Farrar

Laura Farrar is part of a courageous generation determined to reach out and do something about the problems they see in the world around them.

Because Laura Farrar has struggled with eating disorders, depression, and self-injury, she understands the pain and secrecy they bring. Discontent to just talk about these issues, Laura is determined to do something.

In 2008, Laura started the Dancing in the Rain Foundation. Through her organization, Laura hopes to start a shelter for hurting teens where her organization can offer crisis and intervention services to hurting adolescents so that they may experience God’s mercy and love while receiving the help they need.

Debra Weiss: First of all, Laura, it’s great to have you here at Real Teen Faith. I loved the name of your organization, Dancing in the Rain Foundation, as soon as I heard it. What’s the story behind the name?

Laura Farrar: Thanks, Debbie for having me! Our name was inspired by a few quotes I’ve heard over the years. One of those is “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning to dance in the rain.” That’s the heart of what we believe in. The storms of life bring rain and hardship to our lives, but there is hope–we can learn to dance, cope, thrive and heal even in the midst of the pain. (more…)

Joshua Guthrie was an average sophomore student. One day he read a book called Do Hard Things and he was challenged to change the world.

But where does a 15-year-old guy begin?

He started in Darfur. Sudan has a severe water well shortage. One community of 6,000 people walked 4 hours to collect water to drink or to clean. This shortage caused diseases and death in communities.

Boring one well cost $8,000. He had no clue how to raise that kind of money so he and his dad sat down and made a list of four goals. By the time he completed the last step, he had not only raised $8,000 but well over $11k.

Now he’s raising money for two wells in Darfur, a sum of $16,000.

What do we learn from Josh?

1. One person can impact 6,000 people.

2. Goals are important. Do you feel God calling you to something big? What is your first step? Your second? Third? Are you committed to staying on the task?

3. You can’t do it alone. Josh says that his faith was the most important ingredient. He trusted God every step of the way. He still is.

4. We can all change the world. Maybe it’s a lot smaller than raising $10,000 or maybe it seems bigger. Changing the World is not a burden that should weigh you down, coz you’re not big enough, but have you asked God to show you an opportunity to find out what He can do?

WHAT CAN ONE TEEN DO?

• Check out Josh’s webpage. Encourage him. Pray for this ministry and for Josh.
• Donate! Josh said that $5 and $10 are the bulk of donations he receives and every dollar counts! Maybe you would like to organize a fundraiser and send the donations to Dollar for a Drink.
• Ask God to begin to help you become “others centered”.

 

You’ve heard of him, right? Danny Gokey, the guy on American Idol who seems to have a thousand pair of cool glasses and an amazing voice.

But there’s more to Danny than just a shot at winning American Idol.

Four weeks before his audition, Danny lost his wife. She died during heart surgery. As a worship pastor, Danny and his wife impacted many adults and children with their faith. After her death, Danny created Sophia’s Heart Foundation. This organization aims to reach out and touch the hearts of children from ages 0 through 18. The uniting factor among these children will be the need for restoration in various areas of their lives.

Sophia’s Heart Foundation has four programs:

• SHF Music and Arts Program
• Sophia L. Gokey Scholarship Fund
• Sophia’s Heart of Compassion
• SHF Medical Fund

Maybe you can donate or help out or maybe you can pray for Danny as he goes through the American Idol journey.

Check out Sophie’s Heart Foundation and see what one guy is doing with fame — Danny Gokey is trying to change*the*world.

Awesome!

Check out the video.