Happy Retro Day! This week’s piece is a great reminder to all of us to continue pursuing excellence and honoring God in all we do. Enjoy! ~ Halee

by Catey Yuen

It all started with a very good idea. Isn’t that always how it starts? At the beginning of the school year, I told God, “I’m really excited about school this year. I want to learn everything you have to teach me.”

He took me seriously. (more…)

Happy Retro Day! This is for all of you who have or had braces. (I’m a post-braces kid too. Never been so happy to get rid of something- 2 years without popcorn is an eternity!) I love the way Catey turned her not-so-great orthodontist appointment into a hilarious story. Enjoy! ~ Halee

by RTF Staff Writer Catey Yuen

So, I’ve had braces for almost the 18-month slot they allotted me (and if I have to go a day over, I think I will go mad).

Let me tell you a little bit about my braces experience. I HATE THEM.

I am a rule keeper as it comes to a lot of things. I got this nine-page long braces care sheet when I first got braces and on that nine-page long list sheet was this million-item list titled: THINGS YOU SHOULD NOT EAT WITH BRACES.

So I didn’t eat the stuff on there.

My friends aren’t really rule keepers. They saw THINGS YOU SHOULD NOT EAT WITH BRACES and read it as THINGS THAT YOUR ORTHODONTIST WOULDN’T LIKE YOU TO EAT WITH BRACES BUT YOU CAN STILL EAT ANYWAY. (more…)

Happy Retro Day! This week we’re taking some time to look inward. This article has some great pointers for being authentic in your faith, but it’s also fantastic advice for any number of situations. Enjoy! ~ Halee

 

By RTF Staff Writer Catey Yuen

Actions speak louder than words.

How many times have you heard that before? I’ve heard it, at a rough estimate, more than a million times in my still-brief life. But I never really thought about it until just recently.

I’m part of a Christian young speakers’ group. I’m used to representing Christ and my group on the platform. I can look really good if I try hard enough and I’m thinking about it.

But get me off the platform and how well do I represent Christ? Am I consistent in my witness, or am I causing people to think badly about God’s people sometimes? (more…)

Happy Retro Day! This is for anyone who has moved away from friends or watched their friends leave them behind. (I’ve been there, too.) I hope you find this helpful and encouraging. Enjoy! ~Halee

by RTF Staff Writer Catey Yuen

I’m a social person. I’ve always had a lot of friends since I was really young. But when I moved from California to Colorado two summers ago, all of that changed.

When you’ve lived in the same state your whole life, it’s easy to stay in contact with people. After all, most of the people you know, you’ve known for a while. Almost all of my friends came from the church I’d been going to for years. It required very little for me to meet new people and still hang out with the old ones.

Then we moved and it all changed. (more…)

 

by RTF Staff Writer Catey Yuen

Once you called me friend
Somehow, I wanted to give you my faith
I failed, so sorry
How inadequate are my feelings!
I wish I could have been better
Can I make it up to you, somehow?

I will find a way to love you, somehow
I will find a way to be a friend
My heart will break, but for the better
- It makes me remember my faith -
And shows me how love is more than feelings
But that is just a sorry, sorry (more…)

By RTF Staff Writer Catey Yuen

Every time I go to a store, I can count on having a bad experience with the clerks. From the time my sister had to slap the arcade employee, to the time I found out the mailing store clerk was stalking me, I can trust that I’ll come out with a new and not necessarily happy memory.

Out of all the grocery store clerk dramas I’ve been in, the worst was the time the grocery store clerk was a little too zealous in his job. (more…)

by Catey Yuen

I got back from a speech and leadership camp in Tennessee just a few short weeks ago. I was exhilarated – and at the same time, discouraged. Looking ahead to the humdrum ways of real, regular high school living sounded remarkably unappealing. After a time of really focusing on God, it didn’t seem fitting that I should shove myself back into the routine of my regular year.

I’ve probably already made it very clear that I’m not all that into change. I’ve had the same haircut for five years, keep a calendar to help me manage my routine, and don’t like to mix up my daily schedule much. So I came up with a brilliant solution to my dilemma: I’d simply replicate my summer and try to stay in the same mental state as during my break. (more…)

by Catey Yuen

Drip. Drip.
I do not understand the water
That falls like a birdsong on my face
You say it cleanses
Then why is the dirt pouring on
Me?

You chose me. You chose this
Dark creaking beast to be my Shelter
In a long storm. I didn’t
Choose it for myself.
Why me? I am not
Good or Beautiful and I did not
Know you then. I hardly know you now.

Unworthy is a good word.
It’s who I am right now in the face of
This Great Flood that threatens me
But somehow, you protect.
How is it you could love a fool like me?

Is this who I am? More than just the
Earth on my face or the water in my hands,
I am made in your image
These eyes are to see destruction and live
These hands to cradle in love like you do
This heart to beat like yours
Is this who I am?

Unworthy is a good word.
But that is not who I am.