I’ve been praying about this alot, and I haven’t found any help on it…There is the guy who is in my grade (I’m in high school as a junior) and a couple weeks before school started, he sent me a text message saying he likes me, after the couple weeks we have talked to eachother, and now school has started, and he has been avoiding my messages, and hasn’t called me back when he’s said he would. He’s good buddies with my friend, and he tells him he all of a sudden doesn’t have feelings for me now. Now, I can’t stop thinking about him, and once in a while he will still talk about me to my friend, what should I do? I’m so confused! Anna

 

 

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It is not true to say that God wants to teach us something in our trials: through every cloud He brings, He wants us to unlearn something. ~ Oswald Chambers

I read this quote this morning and it stopped me. .

What does this mean? When things are tough, like when I had cancer or when my son was hurt, and things were dark, what did I need to unlearn?

Is God cruel? No. But all the things I trusted weren’t working. I wasn’t strong enough or smart enough to fix it. I didn’t have all the answers, and no one was lining up with a one-two-three formula that would make it all go away.

But I could trust God. No matter the outcome, I had something stable and beautiful and strong. It brought peace into a situation that wasn’t peaceful. It allowed me to celebrate in a time when there was nothing to celebrate. I was able to laugh, to live, and to move forward.

I remember people saying how strong I was in those times, and yet I knew that I was as weak as I had ever been. It wasn’t me. It was my faith in something greater than myself or my situation.

Perhaps what I unlearned during those hard times is my total self-sufficiency. I was strong, but my greater strength came in walking day by day, and at times minute by minute, with Christ.

Crawl

By Derrick Hanisch, Guest Writer, 21

One of my favorite bands is Superchick. Sad, but true. One of my highlights of Sonshine was seeing them perform. I even stood in line to get a poster autographed. It was really cool. Yes, while Superchick does sing about being a one girl revolution, and about how every girl is beautiful, they have some really cool lyrics.

I was listening to their newest CD today. I’ve listened to it a lot, and there’s one song that really stands out to me. It’s called “Crawl”:

How long will this take?
How much can I go through?
My heart, my soul aches
I don’t know what to do
I bend but don’t break
And somehow I’ll get through
’cause I have you (more…)

Hey Suzanne,
I am a 21 year old girl, with a huge calling. A couple years ago I came across my calling from God. Here is a link to my story: http://www.lifechurch.tv/message-archive/my-secret/5

I am the last 16 minutes of the video. My goal is to start a home for girls in my community, for post abortion, addictions, and abuse, After I get out of school, but right now, I’m trying to establish a charity organization. One that is faith based and for the community. To get some experience and my foot in the door. I’m doing it on my own and need some advice. You are an amazing woman with many accomplishments. Thank you for taking the time to read this. If you could just give me a little advice for a girl doing this from scratch, that would be great. Thanks again. JY

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The Break

by Maddee Schrader, RTF Staff Writer

The silence hangs so heavy, dense
A thick, dark sheet of fog between us two.
A deep part of my soul cries ‘Speak’;
But then my stubborn lips seal as adhered.
I lodge hard in the couch, stare at the rug.
I try to keep my gaze from him, avert my eyes
When the thought comes bright and new.
In old days, when King Herod, Caesar
Lived in palaces of marble, mansions on high cliffs
Stone was separated from its mother lode
By placing lengths of wood in cracks already formed.
Then they would wet the wood; it then expands
To force the stone apart; to separate forever.
In such discomforting quiet, I come to realize
The silence, disagreement is our wood
And we ourselves the cracking stone.
I can not break away; I will not split apart
I will dry up the wood, and try to mend the break.
I reach across the table; I dare outstretch my hand.
I am so wrong, forgive me. I never want to harm.
I never want to shatter, break the love I’ve found in you.