Archive for the 'lydia rule' Category

July 15, 2008

Friendship Choices

Lydia Rule, RTF Staff Writer

Your closest circle of friends will reveal much about your personality, interests, goals, and even spiritual walk with God. Choosing friends wisely is no laughing matter—it’s a serious issue that reflects your heart.

That is why people often look at my family with a suspicious eye. You see, we have a very close friend that is not at all what you would expect from a Preacher’s family with three impressionable daughters.

And yet, this friend, like a bad case of the fleas, always sticks to us.

He is inherently lazy, cares very little about work, and sleeps the day away. This of course, is a trait the Bible shows us is wrong:

Proverbs 19:15
Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger.

He has a foul mouth (not to mention breath), little moral understanding, considerably rude manners, very preoccupied with the baser things of life, and yet he is allowed to be around the Pastor’s three girls any time he pleases. (more…)

Filed under: Real Teen Faith Writers, T. Suzanne Eller, friendship, lydia rule

June 14, 2008

Staying F.I.T.

by Lydia Rule, RTF Staff Writer

Summer’s arrival means that we’re all sweating and wishing for a big blue pool to magically appear in the backyard. At least, I am….

Also on top of the summer wish list is to get back into shape. But staying fit doesn’t just include your physical well being—it includes spiritually keeping yourself on track by maintaining a healthy emotional balance.

A few years back, I was obsessed with losing weight and getting back (physically) into shape. However, I lost sight of one very important goal: staying spiritually in shape. Instead, I was focusing all my energy on the physical appearance, lost in the craze of a weight-losing obsession. (more…)

Filed under: Real Bible Study, Real Teen Faith Writers, T. Suzanne Eller, lydia rule, real devos

May 10, 2008

Thinking Outside the Cap and Gown

by Lydia Rule, RTF Staff Writer

The crowd hushes for a moment, a gentle rustle of fans is heard, the atmosphere grows hot and sticky with each tense breath, and then… The band starts up, playing the traditional march as a line of graduates proceeds down the long aisle, each person in timing with the song so only a single step is heard.

Just as many others have done before them, they march up to the stage, take a seat, and wait for their name to be called. It is another typical graduation with speeches of a glorious future and the Grand Finale of hundreds of caps being tossed into the air like confetti.

However, most of the participants in this seemingly stereotype ceremony have something in common: they aren’t thinking outside of the cap and gown. (more…)

Filed under: Real Teen Faith Writers, lydia rule, real devos

April 11, 2008

 

How Are You Praying Today?

by Lydia Rule, RTF Staff Writer

As I was reading my devotions this morning, I came across a chapter in the Bible that I had heard preached on many times. I started to read it not expecting to gain any new insights since I had heard the story before.

But I was wrong.

As I continued reading Mark chapter five’s account of Jesus healing a lunatic who lived among tombstones, two verses in particular caught my attention: (more…)

Filed under: Real Teen Faith Writers, faith, lydia rule, real devos

March 8, 2008

Picture Perfect?
by Lydia Rule, RTF Staff writer

Situation Three: Lauren and Ryan are both saved and have been dating each other for a year. They seem like the perfect couple. They have both promised their parents that they will save sex for marriage. However, the temptation is there—especially when Ryan takes her out for a drive in his car or when Lauren spends the afternoon at Ryan’s house.

They snuggle, kiss, and hold hands, after all, what couple doesn’t? As time goes by, they have done everything BUT the big no-no, and technically, they’re still virgins. Yet, they feel guilty for pushing their relationship to the limits.

(more…)

Filed under: Real Bible Study, Real Teen Faith Writers, dating, lydia rule, real devos

March 7, 2008

Picture Perfect?

by Lydia Rule, RTF Staff Writer

He’s cute. She’s pretty. But are they really right for each other? They are the picture-perfect couple—the type you see on movies where the handsome football star and the homecoming queen magically fall in love. But sometimes appearances can fool us.

Like the mirrors in a fun house, what we see doesn’t match up with reality. (more…)

Filed under: Real Teen Faith Writers, dating, lydia rule, real devos, youth worker resources

February 7, 2008

All Alone?

By Lydia Rule, RTF Staff Writer

Daniel… the name echoes down the Hall of Faith-filled Heroes. He was the young boy who kept his faith in a strange country, the prophet and wise man who interpreted dreams, the man who spent a night with lions and lived to tell about it.

When we think of Daniel, the Sunday school picture of him kneeling alone in prayer pops into our minds. Hey, we can even imagine a halo hanging over his head and heavenly light streaming down on top of his solitary figure. (more…)

Filed under: lydia rule, real devos

January 9, 2008

Double Trouble

by Lydia Rule, RTF Staff Writer

THOUGHT FOR TODAY: “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”
James 1:8 (King James Version)

I read a recent news article about a two-headed baby turtle. I was fascinated by the pictures that went along with the article. The turtle’s heads were on opposing ends, which would be quite interesting if each head decided to go straight— a “tug of war” would ensue.

(more…)

Filed under: lydia rule, real devos