Archive for the 'real advice' Category

May 12, 2008

I received an e-mail from a teen recently who shared a link to her MySpace. She had cool pics of her recent marriage. She is 17. Her question: how can I know if he is my soul mate?

We talked privately, and it is clear that the road ahead is going to be tougher than she realized. Love suddenly looked less romantic when she woke up the next week. She said she didn’t mind if we posted her question and my answer, but I found a great article that says it all. (more…)

Filed under: dating, real quote, real articles

May 9, 2008

Shallow Pots
by Maddee Schrader, RTF Staff Writer, 16

So bloom! She said, Where you are planted for
If not you’ll wither quick. The novelty
Of being new will only shade you for
So long from sun of loneliness and sighs.

The soil is too hard, I whined, the ground
Unyielding still. The people do not see
Me; I am like a potted tree that is
Not flow’ring bright for bees to see and come.
I’ve been here for a year and yet I do
Not belong still. This place is not for me.

She looked askance at me, her shaking head
To tell me how she disapproved of that.
You answered it yourself, my dear, when said
That you’re a potted plant. Those trees, you see,
Have roots that do not grow. To be in life
And live and love and laugh, you must break out
Of shallow pots, and struggle through the rough
And rocky soil ‘til you find the soft
And tender ground that’s somewhere underneath.

Filed under: Maddee Schrader, Real Teen Faith Writers, faith, real poem

May 3, 2008

Maddee Schrader, 16, RTF Staff writer and Suzie interview author Erynn Mangum, author of Miss Match!

Maddee: Congrats on your recent wedding! After writing so much about a single girl and her dating relationships, what is it like to be married?

Erynn: It is awesome! My husband, Jon, is my best friend – we have so much fun together. Thanks for the congrats!

Maddee: Are any of the characters in your books based on real people?

Erynn: A couple of characters are based on composites of different people I know – but there isn’t one that’s just based on one specific person.

Maddee: You say you love coffee, so what are your favorite three drinks at Starbucks?

Erynn: Oh gosh…Mocha, Caramel Frappuccino and um… oh! The Cinnamon Dolce Latte. That one is yummy. (more…)

Filed under: Real Teen Faith Writers, Maddee Schrader, writing, real interviews, dating, sex

May 2, 2008

Miss Match by Erynn Mangum

Review by Maddee Schrader, RTF Staff Writer, 16 

Erynn Mangum published Miss Match when she was twenty-three, and calls it semi-autobiographical. I’m always cautious of first-time authors, but in several cases have felt shamed afterward for doubting. Enough said.

Lauren Holbrook is twenty-four, living at home and working at a photography studio owned by her best friend from first grade. Besides being alarmingly addicted to coffee (“liquid candy bars”) and Milky Way bars, she might be considered normal save for her unusual hobby.

She is a matchmaker. (more…)

Filed under: Real Teen Faith Writers, Guest Writers, dating, real review

April 18, 2008

There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.  John 1:6-8 NIV

Do you ever feel like you don’t have much to offer? I don’t know if JTB (John the Baptist) felt this way, but just the other night I met someone who does. Her statement reminded me of this scripture. (more…)

Filed under: faith, real word, T. Suzanne Eller

April 16, 2008

Church? No thanks.
WHY TEENS ARE LEAVING IN DROVES

BY REBECCA GRACE, AFA Journal May 2008

Article Excerpt: Here is the church. Here is the steeple. Open the doors. Where are all the people?

Seventy percent of the people, 23 to 30 years old, are nowhere to be found in church on a regular basis for at least a year between the ages of 18 and 22. They become church dropouts, according to a 2007 study from LifeWay Research. (more…)

Filed under: real question, youth worker resources, faith, real quote, real articles, real issues

April 15, 2008

The Corner

by Jamin Goecker, 17, Guest RTF Writer

Zack listened to the guys chattering as the bus jolted down the road. He’d been around them since kindergarten, but he still hadn’t spoken to any of them. His tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth as he prepared to say something.

I’ll probably just sound weird when I talk. He slipped his headphones into his ears and pulled his hood over his eyes.

Are you like Zack? I was. (more…)

Filed under: Jamin Goecker, friendship, 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, real devos, lydia rule