by BJ Hamrick, RTF Staff Writer

To be honest, I’m probably the last person who should write an article about self-respect. After all, I’m the girl who permed her hair, dyed her skin, and over-waxed her eyebrows… all in hopes she’d like herself when she was done. (Unfortunately, it’s hard to like yourself when your skin turns orange and your hair grows the consistency of cotton candy.)

It’s not just a girl-thing. Guys work hard to like themselves too. Whether it’s lifting weights, running, or choosing that one shirt that looks like you’re not trying at all (you wouldn’t want the girls to know!) – it’s important how you look.

But what about how you look on the inside? Experts say there’s more to liking yourself than having the perfect body. Knowing yourself – inside and out – is important too. (more…)

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.

I groggily looked up at the nurse. “Do you know the results?” I asked.

It was a struggle to form the words, my brain was still muddled from the anesthesia. She told me that she didn’t know. I was wheeled into a recovery room, where they let me have a sip of water. I wanted more, I was parched. Apparently having too much water after a fairly major surgery is a bad thing, though, because they wouldn’t let me have enough.

Finally, after what seemed like ages, my parents were ushered into the room. I looked up into their faces, and I knew. They couldn’t hide the sadness.

“What kind?” I croaked, my voice still parched.

My dad replied with, “Osteosarcoma, bone cancer.”

Those were the three words that rocked my world to its core.

Let me back up a step. It was my junior year of high school. (more…)

The Invitation

By: Debra Weiss, RTF Staff Writer

I feel like God isn’t listening to my prayers.
I don’t think God really answers prayer these days…
I’ve given up praying; God isn’t interested in my problems.

I’ve talked to the teens that have uttered these statements. Once optimistic, they’ve been beaten down by life. A parentsʼ divorce, chronic illness, surgery, depression, addictions, eating disorders, the death of a loved one…the list of their burdens is endless. (more…)

Take it all

For Mr. Tracy, by Judi Weiss, RTF Staff Writer

Trust in the Lord. It sounds easy enough. Especially when everything is going good. The road is even. But what about when a crisis comes your way?

My youth minister, Mr. Tracy, was diagnosed with Hodgkinʼs Lymphoma, known as Hodgkinʼs Disease, in June of 2007. Hodgkinʼs Lymphoma is a cancer of the immune system. A type of cell called the Reed-Sternberg cell is what marks it.

He began seven months of Chemotherapy then a month of radiation. After the treatment, he received what heʼd been waiting for, the clean bill of health.

This past September, the small family was hit with another crisis. The cancer had returned. With his wife Robin behind him, Mr. Tracy began his one month of radiation for the second time. (more…)

Worth It

by B.J. Hamrick, RTF Staff Writer

I’m not the type of girl who likes to be put in a box. But on a warm fall day in the mountains of North Carolina, my friend Laura talked me into it.

Literally.

“It’ll be fun,” she said. “Just crawl in.” (more…)

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…)