Archive for the 'Real Teen Faith Writers' Category

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 7, 2008

Goodbye School
by B.J. Hamrick, RTF Staff Writer

Dear School,

I fell in love with you back in first grade. You were fun, attractive, and easy to get along with. We played games, laughed, and spent a lot of time on the playground.

Then the honeymoon ended.

By our sixth year together, you became sickeningly needy. I hardly wanted anything from you, but you always demanded something from me. The worst part was when I couldn’t spend time with my friends because I was too busy attending to you.

(more…)

Filed under: BJ Hamrick, Real Teen Faith Writers, real fun

May 5, 2008

Writer’s Bloc held a contest for teen writers. One of the prizes was publication on Real Teen Faith. We don’t often have fiction on RTF, but we are pleased to offer this winning entry. It’s a great story!

The Spartan
By Jamin Goecker

Ben rolled over and punched his pillow. His clock beamed 12:03. He sighed and lay on his back. Green blobs vibrated in the lava lamp on his desk. Moonlight cut through the blinds and stabbed a multicolored award tacked on the bulletin board over his desk.

Best eighth grade Bible verse memorizer

Did I get that only a year ago? I’m certainly old enough by now not to be afraid of being alone

His lip quivered as a laundry pile rose and formed an armored figure. The soldier lowered a long spear and tickled Ben’s throat with its leaf point.

(more…)

Filed under: Jamin Goecker, writing

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 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

April 2, 2008

 

(Idea) Spark

by Maddee Schrader

Just like a spark it comes and fires in my mind,
A single flame that falls from space and rests upon
My thoughts. It touches down and lights a flame, does start
A little burn. I stop right there and listen as
The flame begins to speak. Sometimes it talks of lands
That do not yet exist. And some days it will tell
Me of new people, kings and beggars, girls and boys,
Computer geeks and cops. Sometimes I sit and hear
This, fanning flames into a blaze, but oft I know
I do not have the time. So on those days I let
Real life extinguish the idea. But now and then
It speaks insistently; I hear and smile, and write it down.

Maddee Schrader is a 16-year old author who plans to major in Writing and Spanish, beginning this. She loves talking with her sister and running, and is currently working on her second novel. You can connect with Maddee at her blog.

From Suzie: Maddee is an amazing writer! We hope to hear more from her in the future. If you want to share your poetry, lyrics, testimony, devo, or review on RTF, e-mail me. We are currently looking for eight full-time staff writers to write once a month!

Filed under: Maddee Schrader, real poem