By Guest Writer Shannon Meiers

I stared at my untouched lunch, then at the clock.  How many teenagers took 35 minutes to eat one salami sandwich, one apple, and one cup of Jell-o pudding? Then again, how many teens are distracted by a mob of kids while they try to eat?

Rosie’s pigtails bounced. “Shannon, will you take me to the washroom?” Washroom?  Don’t your parents bathe you at home? I wondered. (more…)

Happy Retro Day! Though this piece maybe retro, the topic is absolutely current. I hope it gets you thinking. Enjoy! ~Halee

by RTF Guest Writer Tim Sweetman

I stood on the Supreme Court steps in downtown Louisville at 12:02 PM shivering in the cold. All around me were people gathered around a huge statue at the foot of the steps. They were all listening to a speaker who stood at a black podium in between the huge columns at the top of the steps. These were people from all backgrounds – little children, businessmen, mothers, fathers, politicians, doctors, teenagers, and college students.

We were all gathered because abortion was legalized 36 years ago.

As I looked around at the faces, I realized that most of us were survivors of a genocide. A genocide that has taken almost 45 million lives away from our nation. A genocide that was taking a life every 20 seconds. A genocide that could have taken me.

But I was not aborted. (more…)

By Guest Writer A.E. Zander

The night sky was dim in the park my brothers and sister and I walked in. Laying abandoned on the ground sat a plastic beach ball, proving to be irresistible to my brother, who instantly whacked it high up in the air- and straight against my eye. I don’t think I’ll ever forget his horrified look at the black ring around my eye. (more…)

by RTF Guest Writer E.O. Luke

Weakness – it’s not a characteristic I want. As I lie on my pillow, an ice pack sprawled across my swollen foot and crutches balanced on the side of the couch, I think about how pathetic I feel. That one act when I felt so in control had left me a prisoner on my back.

I sigh aloud. Even as I write my battery blinks low and my ice pack needs to be switched, but the thought of moving makes me cringe. God why didn’t you stop this from happening? It wasn’t a life shattering issue, but it was painful enough to set me back in both my work and my goals for running. (more…)

Happy Retro Day! Here’s a fantastic piece from our archives that I believe will inspire and challenge you just as it did me. Enjoy! ~ Halee

by RTF Guest Writer Kelsey Shaw

“I am serene. I have full awareness of what I have chosen … If I must die, I will die.
Somebody, a long time ago, did it for all of us … I never thought it would end this way.
But I am ready to face the consequences.”
-Abdul Rahman, an Afghan convert to Christianity, quoted in AP

To think about a person having to fight for their right to go to church, believe in God, and talk about it, is strange and unfamiliar in the good ol’ U. S. of A. To add to that, the fact he is not scared to believe in something that may get him killed is mind blowing.

It makes me wonder, if I were in his position, would I do the same? Would I still have a relationship with Jesus? Would I proclaim it? Would I be willing to say “Hey, he died, I can die.” (more…)

by Guest Writer J.M Schiele

Hi, my name is Quin, and I’m in high school. From the outside I may look like a normal teen. At least, I thought I was… then I had this — what’s it called — revelation?

It happened yesterday while I was sitting in my bedroom. As I looked around my room, I realized my life had changed a lot in the last month. I used to be an organized person. My room was always neat — but as I glanced around, I could see it was full of clutter and junk.

Yeah… I’d let it get way out of hand. It looked like I hadn’t cleaned it in ten years! It might as well be that way, because it’s going to take me that long to clean it up, I thought. (more…)

by Mary Ann Frazier

I was hanging out with some friends recently. It was just after we had seen a movie, and we stopped by a store on the way home. 

Old feelings rose up in me. Feelings of worthlessness, rejection, and ugliness. At first they succeeded in bringing me down, but why was I was looking at what the world thinks of me instead of remembering what God thinks of me?

So I asked God to help me. A moment later, I snuck a peek at a randomly chosen verse in a little Bible booklet I had.

 At least I thought it was random.

The first words I saw were, “Christ in you, the hope of glory”. It was exactly what I needed to hear!  (more…)

Phil Wickham: Cannons
Alternative/Pop/Worship
A review by Ben Campbell, 16, RTF Guest Writer

Phil Wickham possesses beautiful, God given talents. Between his voice and his wonderful ability to conjure up images of heaven, I have fallen for his music.

Images such as cannons exploding in the night proclaim the existence of God. The whole CD is more or less a series of quick sermons. The best examples of this would have to be Cannons and True Love.

Cannons explains to the listener that creation is exploding with evidence of a creator.

True Love speaks of our Lord’s glorious sacrifice through an effective use of imagery. Listen to these lyrics: When blood and water hit the ground, walls we couldn’t move came crashing down. We were free and made alive, the day the true love died…. (more…)