Archive for the 'real issues' Category

August 31, 2007

Go Deep: 6 Spiritual Things You Need to Learn in College
TrueU
by Jason Boyette

Dating? Nope. Drinking? Nah. I’m thinking about another of the big Ds on campus: Devotion. According to a much ballyhooed Barna study, more than three-fourths of your college friends maintain at least an outward commitment to Christianity.

But when it comes to young adults who were active churchgoers as teenagers, three out of five of them are currently spiritually disengaged. They don’t attend church. They don’t read the Bible. They don’t pray very often.

(more…)

Filed under: real articles, real issues

August 14, 2007

 

Head-On

by Lydia Rule, RTF Staff Writer

Here is the understatement of the century: people do not get along. In fact, confrontations between people can get downright nasty. (more…)

Filed under: family, friendship, lydia rule, real advice, real devos, real issues

August 9, 2007

Today we get to hang out with author, Sarah Sumpolec. She’s not only written the Becoming Beka series, five books about a teen who is trying to live her faith and find her dreams, but is also the author of a very cool blog by a character in her novel. Lucy. 

This blog is called Totally Unfamous.

Let’s talk with Sarah!

Suzie: Hey Sarah, thanks for dropping by Real Teen Faith.  I’ve read a lot of blogs, but never one that was also a novel. What made you decide to try this? 

Sarah: I was interested in writing a spin-off from my “Becoming Beka” series and decided that I wanted to share Lucy’s story.

Because the story format is experimental, I knew that I wouldn’t be able to find a publisher for it and I wasn’t interested in self-publishing.

That left the Internet, and since the story is written in short poems I thought a blog platform was the best way to share it. That way it would be free for anyone to read. And hopefully enjoy. (more…)

Filed under: real interviews, real issues, writing

August 7, 2007

What’s a Life Worth?

by Brian Perceful, guest writer RTF

Every so often I read of something online or on in a magazine that really gets to me. Last year as I was making my daily rounds of my favorite sites like Drudge Report, CNN, Xanga, Myspace, and a few others I was quite dumbfounded on what I read and saw.

Maybe you saw it as well. Maybe you read about it.

It seems that some bored people thought it to be a great idea to take out their life’s frustrations on random homeless people in the Ft. Lauderdale, FL area. A total of four beatings occurred with one leading to a fatality. Not only were these attacks unprovoked, it seems that the guys who turned themselves in really have no reason behind the attacks. Not only were they senseless, worse yet they were heartless and I feel a direct reflection of our culture in general. (more…)

Filed under: Guest Writers, real issues

August 3, 2007

Sorry guys, this one is for girls today, though actually it has tons of information that you might like or need to read, too.

Stand Up Girl is a site that talks to girls who are sexually active, considering sex, or who believes she might be pregnant. There are stories from teens who are pregnant, or moms, or who aborted their babies and who share their personal stories.

 There are also links to pregnancy crisis centers all over the U.S., an article that shares the early symptoms of pregnancy, blogs, articles, and lots of resources if you’re trying to figure out what to do.

 ***** FIVE STAR site.

Filed under: real issues, real links

July 31, 2007

How does Roe vs. Wade affect teens? Affect you? Is it a non-issue? Or is faith involved in this? What are your thoughts as a guy, as a girl?

For me, it’s a personal and faith-filled issue. You see, my mom got pregnant with me at a tough time in her life. She was young, already a mom who had a child and who had lost a child, and on her own. The timing of her pregnancy was inconvenient and difficult, and today it would make sense to many for her to have aborted that pregnancy.

Except that pregnancy was me. 

I’m grateful that she allowed me, rather than circumstances or poverty or anything else, to decide if my life was of value.

If she had aborted me, then I would not exist. I was that baby. That’s the issue that seems to be overlooked when talking about abortion. There is an individual, a person, involved.

If I were aborted, I would not exist, but nor would Leslie, Ryan, and Melissa, my children, nor their children in the future.

Since 1973 an estimated 46 million abortions have been performed. This year there will be 1.3 million abortions performed in the U.S.

The two women involved in the Roe vs. Wade case are now pro-life. Intriguing.

Filed under: real issues

July 21, 2007

Jesus’ Bad Friends
Campus Life - June/July, 2007
Why the wrong crowd is sometimes the right crowd.
by Mark Galli

Excerpt of article:
“Later, Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house. Many tax collectors and ’sinners’ were eating with him and his disciples. They were part of the large crowd following Jesus.” —Mark 2:15 (NIRV)
When the HBO series The Sopranos first started getting popular, I began tuning in. I love movies and TV shows about the mafia so I thought The Sopranos was fascinating. A bit too fascinating, it turned out. I found myself thinking about stuff like sex and power in unhealthy ways long after each episode ended. I decided to stop watching the show, not because it was evil, but because of what I saw it doing to me.

Stupid is as stupid does when it comes to the things we watch. What you see and hear influences what you think, say and do. The same applies to the people we hang around with. You hang around with a group that smokes dope or plays around sexually, sooner or later, you’re probably going to start acting like that. It’s just human nature to adopt the values of the group we’re with.

So we Christians are smart to not hang around with the “wrong crowd,” right?

Except that our Lord did this all the time. Read rest of article.

Filed under: faith in action, real articles, real issues

July 18, 2007

Chasity Ring Girl Loses Case

BBC News 24, July 16, 2007

Excerpt of article: A 16-year-old girl was not discriminated against when she was banned from wearing a “purity ring” in school, the High Court has ruled.

(more…)

Filed under: real articles, real issues