3rd place finalist on “American Idol,” Season Six
Released “Melinda Doolittle” Album in 2007
Released “Coming Back to Youth” Album in Feb. of 2009. Currently 3rd on US Independent Chart.

“I was tone deaf all the way up until 7th grade. The chorus teacher would invite me to sing because I looked like I knew what I was doing. They’d tell me to stand in the middle and just mouth the words. ‘Don’t you dare sing out loud!’ I loved music so much; I would pray that I got better.” Melinda Doolittle, The Winning Edge Interview

By Derek Hanisch, RTF Staff Writer

I still remember that day three years ago. I stood in front of two hundred youth at a juvenile detention center to give a sermon. I hadn’t prayed about what I was going to say. I had done the preparation on my own. I was giving the sermon on my own. And I bombed. I bombed badly. It was a real self esteem crusher for me. Because of it I hadn’t spoken in public since.

I’ve been involved with Campus Crusade for Christ at my school, and just recently we put on an Interfaith Conference with the Muslim Student Association. Each faith had a twenty minute introduction before questions were taken from the audience towards both faiths.

I was asked to be a part of the panel. Without even thinking I said no, remembering the last time I had tried to do something like this. Two others were chosen for the Christian panel and things were good. One of the speakers fell through and immediately I was asked again. I had been praying that God would open up doors and use me. I couldn’t deny it anymore. I prayed about it that weekend and knew that this was something I had to do. I said yes. (more…)

 

 

By Catey Yuen, RTF Staff Writer

Actions speak louder than words.

How many times have you heard that before? I’ve heard it, at a rough estimate, more than a million times in my still-brief life. But I never really thought about it until just recently.

I’m part of a Christian young speakers’ group. I’m used to representing Christ and my group on the platform. I can look really good if I try hard enough and I’m thinking about it.

But get me off the platform and how well do I represent Christ? Am I consistent in my witness, or am I causing people to think badly about God’s people sometimes? (more…)

It used to be that you had to travel thousands of miles to connect with people in different cultures or with different views on faith. But what happens when you take your faith online? How can you share it with someone you know casually, or with an online friend?

All good questions. I was discussing this the other day with some teens. One said, “I don’t think we should force religion on anyone.”

I don’t either. But I told this teen how that I grew up in a family where faith wasn’t practiced. I didn’t know Christ. I didn’t realize He could transform my life, or that knowing Him was something more than a list of rules. I will always be thankful that someone shared that with me. It changed my life forever. (more…)

 How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. ~Anne Frank

These are great ideas from the Do Something! campaign.

Organize a clothes exchange – get friends and people in your community to bring anything they don’t want so they can swap!

Find a shelter in your area and offer your services

Learn a language so you can understand someone else’s culture

Find your local child abuse hotline and put the number up at school

Clean up your park or playground

Volunteer at a summer day camp in your area

Get a local coffee shop to open late one night a week so kids have an alcohol free hang out (more…)

Did you know that the Goggle search engine for 3:16 went way up after the Championship game on Thursday between Florida and Oklahoma?

Read about it here.

A teen and her mom were evicted from their apartment. She started blogging about the eviction, the first night spent in their car, how Denny’s was the only place where they could sleep outside in the car for up to four hours at a time…

Brandilyn Collins, a Christian author, connected with Katy and her mom. Ironic, because Katy’s mom is a huge fan of her books.

Brandilyn asked people to donate enough funds to get them into a temporary shelter. A woman drove to them that day and paid for a hotel room for two nights. (more…)

By Debra Weiss, RTF Staff Writer

Lately, I’ve been challenged to really live with eternity in mind. I can’t help thinking that accomplishing a huge to-do list through my life doesn’t really mean anything unless it makes an impact for eternity.

Maybe I’m being a bit judgmental, but I look around at Christianity in America and I can’t help but think that we’re putting this huge effort into being comfortable Christians. I mean think of how many books, seminars and conferences there are for Christian teens today. There’s nothing wrong with more information but we get to this point where we feel we “can’t give to the missions” until we attend the next seminar, the next conference, etc.

Doesn’t it seem like we’ve lost focus on what we’re supposed to be doing somewhere along the way? God’s Word isn’t about being comfortable. Living the Christian life shouldn’t be about comfort. If we’re comfortable, if we’re not regularly being stretched, challenged to show Christ’s love, reaching out to others in life’s gutters, then aren’t we missing something huge? Aren’t we missing something important?

Maybe I’m just being weird but I think that I’m not supposed to be as comfortable as I am where I am. Does that make any sense? lol. Probably not but I thought I’d share it anyway…I just thought that maybe my new beginning has to do with living life with eternity in mind…living like I’ve always meant to but never taken the time…