by BJ Hamrick, RTF Staff Writer

Crumpled and lost
In a new world
The wind blows hard
I’m tossed and hurled

Wasn’t it best
How I used to be
With legs to crawl
And eyes to see?

What are these frail
And aching things?
I call them pain
You call them wings

I wrote this in an e-mail to a friend one late night. I was struggling because I’d cried out to God so many times to heal me, and yet all of Heaven seemed silent. Then God reached down into my heart and showed me that the sickness I thought was tying me down, was the thing He was using to help me fly to new heights in my relationship with Him.

 

 

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…)

by B.J. Hamrick, RTF Staff Writer

It’s a bright sunny day outside. I listen intently as small drops of liquid trickle off the roof into a pile of cold gray slush beneath my window. Tiny rivers of water stream down the street. The warm sun shines on a petite snowman in my yard. He has melted into a two-foot blob with a sadly faded carrot for a nose. (more…)

One of the Pharisees asked him over for a meal. He went to the Pharisee’s house and sat down at the dinner table.

Just then a woman of the village, the town harlot, having learned that Jesus was a guest in the home of the Pharisee, came with a bottle of very expensive perfume and stood at his feet, weeping, raining tears on his feet. Letting down her hair, she dried his feet, kissed them, and anointed them with the perfume.

When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man was the prophet I thought he was, he would have known what kind of woman this is who is falling all over him.”

Jesus said to him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”

“Oh? Tell me.”

“Two men were in debt to a banker. One owed five hundred silver pieces, the other fifty. Neither of them could pay up, and so the banker canceled both debts. Which of the two would be more grateful?”

Simon answered, “I suppose the one who was forgiven the most.”

“That’s right,” said Jesus. Then turning to the woman, but speaking to Simon, he said, “Do you see this woman? I came to your home; you provided no water for my feet, but she rained tears on my feet and dried them with her hair.

You gave me no greeting, but from the time I arrived she hasn’t quit kissing my feet. You provided nothing for freshening up, but she has soothed my feet with perfume. Impressive, isn’t it? She was forgiven many, many sins, and so she is very, very grateful. If the forgiveness is minimal, the gratitude is minimal.”

Dear Suzie, I didn’t grow up in the church, but when my parents got divorced when I was 7, my dad remarried to an extremely christian woman. After that, we went to church almost every sunday. I never really liked it until about a year ago, after I had gone to bootcamp. Now that I’m in the marine corps and on my own, I’m finding that I want to go to church on my own accord. But, I’ve been having very conflicting thoughts recently that I SO wish you can help me with. I found your website, and you’re the first person I’ve shared this with. Ok… Here it goes…

I know God loves me. I know he forgives sin. But, I’m having a very hard time convincing myself he would forgive me. I lost my virginity when I was just 15. Then, when I was about 16, I came to know Christ. But, after that, I continued to have pre-marital sex. For some reason, I have a problem saying ”no”. All I think about everyday is God and how much I want to repent and change my ways. I’ve ”repented” before, but a few weeks later, find myself in sexual sins again. I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to have sex. Even while I’m having sex, all I think about is how much I don’t want to be doing it. Then afterwards, I feel so ashamed I don’t even want to pray cause I can’t face God. I want to straighted my life out so badly. Now that I’m a Marine, all I want from my male counterparts is respect.

I’ve read in the Bible where it says all sexual immoral women will go to Hell. Is this true? Am I a lost cause? I’ve been wanting to talk to my old pastor about this, but haven’t had the chance since being away from home so much. So I’m coming to you. Please help me. Tell me what to do. Will God forgive me? Can I repent? Can I still go to heaven? Please, this means so much to me. Thank you very much for taking the time out to read this. And thank you for giving me your word. I will take it to heart. Everything you say. A.

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Excuses

by Derek Hanisch, RTF Staff Writer

How many times do we use our circumstances as an excuse? We can get a Biblical example by looking at Moses, and how when God wanted him to lead the Israelites to freedom he responded with: “I can’t, I have speech problems.” Moses used his circumstances, his speech problem, whatever it was, as an excuse. Up until recently I was a prime example of this.

I have a fake leg. Well, that’s not quite true. I have half a fake leg. My knee is artificial, and half my femur is titanium. A tumor was in my left leg, so they had to remove it, and to make sure they got it all they took half my leg. I used to use this as an excuse. (more…)

Hello Suzanne.

I am a 16 year old who really wants to connect with Christ but I don’t know how. I’ve been maturing and thinking about life a lot more and especially about the importance of having God in my life. I made earlier attempts to “accept” Him (it was a tough time) but it really didn’t work since I wasn’t serious with it. But finally I am serious with it and I’ve been praying, trying to connect with my God for a while but I never got a response.

I felt hopeless and only 2 days ago decided to abandon my faith, believing that my prayers weren’t being heard. I feel I am doing something wrong. Why don’t I feel a relationship growing with Jesus Christ?  Melissa

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My Friend, Sarah

by B. J. Hamrick, RTF Staff Writer

When I think of the word bold, I think of Sarah’s red, flaming hair. But beneath her red, flaming hair was a person – someone just like you and me – someone who struggled to be bold in other ways.

“I want to stand up for Jesus at school,” she told us one night during camp devotions. “I want to make a difference.”

She talked about Columbine that night. She talked about the kids who stood up for Jesus when two killers asked the question, “Do you believe in God?” Those kids answered, “Yes”.

Sarah said she wanted to answer yes too. She wanted to see God change lives.

But seeing God change lives wasn’t new to Sarah. Everyone who knew her realized that she loved kids and spent every summer in the projects with them – playing games, telling Bible stories, and simply caring about their lives.

The summer of 2000 was no different. Sarah spent nearly every day teaching kids about God. In between teaching, she gave away extra lunches she packed for the homeless. (more…)