by RTF Staff Writer Derek Hanisch

In all of my years of life, I’ve learned one fact (well, hopefully a bit more than just the one!): There is no better way to get to know a group of people than to be shoved onto a van, bus, car, whatever vehicle of choice, and travel across the country.

I’ve had the opportunity to experience the joy of traveling with a group cross-country a few times, most recently on a charter bus full of college kids as we drove thirty hours from Minnesota to Florida for a spring break mission trip.

I remember one particular moment, at about 4am ,when practically everyone was passed out in what looked to be some very uncomfortable positions, whether sprawled out across the seats or rolled into a ball on the floor.

As I was looking around, I found myself thinking about how, as Christians, we have something special: a place to belong. We have this Community of other Believers that will always be there to take care of each other, and have each other’s backs. (more…)

by RTF Staff Writer Derek Hanisch

Sunday mornings in the church is a big deal. People from all different backgrounds and circumstances come together to worship and they dress up in clothes that feel uncomfortable.

The Sinner sits on a hard oaken pew as he pulls at his necktie. The pew is old, scratched, and stained, a reflection of The Sinner’s heart. Some unseen force has drawn him to this crowded place of the masses.

The Sinner is sitting on a crowded pew, but for all intents and purposes he is alone. The masses of people present don’t affect him; they don’t distract him from The Preacher. It may be a crowded sanctuary on a Sunday morning, yet at this moment it is just The Sinner and The Preacher.

The Preacher stands at the front of the church, large calloused hands gripping the hard edges of the pulpit. Bright lights fill his eyes as he stands in the spotlight. The Preacher is the center of attention on this fine Sunday morning. Sweat slowly trickles down his neck wetting his white collar. (more…)

Happy Retro Day! This week’s retro article is fantastic inspiration for when life is dragging you down. It’s quite a powerful reminder to keep pressing on. Enjoy! ~ Halee

by RTF Staff Writer Derek Hanisch

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, 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…)

 

by RTF Staff Writer Derek Hanisch

I stood outside the scary, imposing building. I did not want to go in. Not at all. But I had to, it could not be helped.

In order to get into the social work major at my college, I had to complete 10 hours of volunteer work in that building. I had to go into the nursing home.

I really did not want to do my hours. Until I met Miriam. (more…)

RTF Staff Writer Derek Hanisch

God has a sense of humor. I’m convinced of it. When most people read the Bible, they do it in dry monotone voices. They read the words and don’t visualize them. Here’s how I visualize one of my favorite stories. Read it and tell me that Jesus doesn’t have a sense of humor! (more…)

Last spring I became very good friends with this girl.  We found out that we had the same taste in movies – dorky superhero movies all the way!  Superhero cartoons were also pretty great.  We would hang out and watch a movie, then talk.  Slowly we started doing other stuff together, like meeting to go on walks and just talk.  It was a really nice, really close friendship.  Of course, there are these things called “feelings” that tend to creep in and make a mess out of things.  Through all of our time together I began to have these feelings.  She, on the other hand, did not.

Relationships between guys and girls can be very frustrating at time.  If there’s one thing I’ve learned about relationships it’s that guys have this habit (in general) of falling for our good female friends.  If we spend a lot of time with you girls, hang out with you a lot, there is this good chance that feelings are going to blossom in our hearts.

This girl and I had a lot of talks about where we stood, and what was going on between us.  As we got to talking we learned that there was a lot of miscommunication going on between the two of us.  When we had started hanging out we had a brief convo where we said it was just as friends, and that’s how it had truly started.  That’s not where it had stayed for me, though.  For her, thinking it was only as friends we began to act almost as if we were dating.  After the fact we even both admitted that it felt like we had been dating for a couple weeks.

There’s one thing that we discussed, and would have helped us a lot if we had implemented it earlier.  It’s something I really want to encourage opposite gender friends to do: Limit one on one alone time with friends of the opposite gender!  Girls: spending alone time with guys tends to send them this signal that you’re interested in them, whether intentional or not.  This doesn’t mean that you can’t hang out with them alone on occasion, but I would stress that you’re never alone alone.  If you have a great friend of the opposite gender catch up with them over coffee or something.  Sitting alone in the dark basement with the fireplace burning and talking is not the best idea – it can easily lead to miscommunication – trust me on this one!

I really want to stress that communication is key to any relationship, friendship or otherwise.  Talking about where you stand with someone of the other gender might seem a little awkward at times, but if you don’t feel comfortable sharing your feelings with the person you want to date then perhaps they’re not the person that you should be dating.

By Derek Hanisch

When we’re in Sunday school we’re taught that to be a good Christian we need to read our Bible and Pray. We tend to hear it so often that we become numb to the meaning behind the words.

Here’s a question for you. When was the last time you picked up that dusty little book full of complicated words that’s sitting on the bottom of a pile on your desk? Maybe you can say that you read the Bible every day. If you do, well, good for you! But, if you were like me, then you might not want to admit the answer out loud. (more…)

by Derek Hanisch, RTF Staff Writer

For Spring Break fifty of us piled into a bus and drove 30 hours to head down to Panama City Beach, Florida. We were on our way to the number one spring break spot in the US. We weren’t there to party, though. Far from it. We were there to walk around and share the gospel.

Spring break reminds me a lot of summer. A lot of us will be traveling. A lot of us will be working at a new summer job. A lot of us will just be chilling with friends, maybe going to the beach, or whatever. Whatever you do, you’re called to be sharing the gospel of Christ.

I remember when I was walking along the beach. I was scared. I was nervous. I cared that I’d look like a fool. I cared that I would fail. There were two things that really helped me see things differently.

Our success rate is 100%: Wherever you are, whoever you share the gospel with, you’ve succeeded. You’ve shared the Gospel. God needs to be working in the heart of the person you talk to, all you can do is share His message and word.

Also, look at it this way: As a Christian we believe in eternity. We believe that if you don’t accept Jesus into your heart and follow Him, you won’t spend eternity with Him. How much do you have to hate a person, to not share the gospel with them?

That question rocked me to my core.

Mark 16:15 is often called the Great Commision: He [Jesus] said the them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”

Wherever you go this summer, whatever you’re doing, you’re in the world. Because of that we are commanded by Jesus to preach the gospel. So be praying for opportunities. Be praying that God will use you.

Are you interested in summer mission trips? Teen Missions offers several. Included this summer are:

• Zambia Foot Washing
• Orphan Angels I Motorcycle
• Haiti
• Sweden
• Belize
• Ireland
• Malawi Foot Washing
• Malawi Fishing
• Amazon River – Brazil
• Suriname
• Northern Ireland EV
•  Thailand Orph/English
• Switzerland
• Covered Wagon
• Nicaragua