The Pro-Tech the Kids Workshop is now coming online.  The workshop will be held this Thursday, December 10 at 7 pm CST / 8 pm EST.  To reserve your spot in the webinar room you must go sign up now.  Sign up here.

It isn’t often that I make a recommendation here.  But this one just HAD to be made.  Journal Buddies, A Girl’s Journal for Sharing and Celebrating Magnificence is a must have for your girls.  It is perfect for the tween girl (age 8-12).  It was a finalist in the Mom’s Choice Awards and for good reason.  This journal allows a girl to explore and share her feelings on paper, helping to create a power, positive and lasting self-esteem experience for her.

As you all know, I am a journaling enthusiast, however often times it is difficult to get a girl this age to share her feelings on paper.  But this journal brings out her creativity and allows her to open up and share easily.  It involves fun activities that will help them to draw out their feelings and emotions and record them all in a very special place.

One of the great things about this journal is that it allows the girls to share either through words or pictures.  This gives them yet another way to record their thoughts without feeling that they are “writing the right thing”.  They can just be themselves!

As someone who has journaled for years and who advocates it as an activity that all girls should do I highly recommend this journal for all tween girls.

Pick up a Journal Buddies for your tween girl today.

This is the final post in a series on Stewardship. You can begin at the first post by clicking here. From there you can follow the links to each of the 5 posts in this series.

What else is it important to be a good steward of… what about your belongings, your possessions. Again we want to find out if you are a faithful steward. Do you remember what that is. Let’s review, Are you a STEWARD? Let’s find out what this word means.

A steward is a man who manages or takes care of another’s property. The word actually means “the manager of a house.” It does not mean the OWNER of the house, but it means the MANAGER of the house.

Most of us do not need to have a steward. We are not too rich, and the few possessions that we do have we can look after and take care of ourselves. But if a man has 10 houses, 8 boats, 150 acres of land, 500 head of cattle, 3 swimming pools, 25 cars, 8 trucks and one oil field, then certainly he would not be able to take care of all these possessions by himself. He would need men to help him manage all of these things. A steward is a manager–one who is responsible to take care of those things that belong to someone else.

Are you a STEWARD? Are you responsible to take care of those things that belong to someone else? You might say, “I’m not a STEWARD, I’m an OWNER. I do not own very much, but I do own some things. I own some clothes, some books and some other important possessions that are in my room. These things are mine and I own them. I own them and I take care of them.”

Suppose you were to save up some money and finally you buy an electronic or video game which you have always wanted. Would this game be yours? Would you be the owner of it? It is yours because YOU BOUGHT IT!

Usually when we own something, we also own everything that goes with it. For example, if your parents own a car, then usually they also own the radio that is in the car and the things that are in the trunk of the car and the spare tire and anything else that goes along with the car. Suppose you were to own a pet hamster. Probably you would also own the hamster’s cage and water bottle and food and exercise wheel and whatever else comes with the hamster.

The same is true with God and the believer. Not only does God own the believer, but He also owns everything that goes with the believer. Not only does God own ME, but He also owns everything that I have–my clothes, my money, my possessions, my body and everything else that is mine! It’s all His! He’s the OWNER!

If God is the OWNER, then this means that I am the STEWARD. I am the one who should take good care of these things that belong to God. I am the one who is responsible to be a good manager of my clothes, my body, my money, my possessions and all that I have, because all of these things really belong to the Lord!

One things for sure our teens need to learn about giving back to the Lord.  A good way to do this is to have them to complete a course in finances such as Financial Peace for the Next Generation by Dave Ramsey.

This is the fourth in a series of posts on Stewardship. You can find the first post here.

Now, we have spoken about honoring God with our body, our gifts, and our natural talents now what about life’s most precious commodity, our T-I-M-E. Do you know that the word Love is often spelled out best T-I-M-E. No other time in history have people struggled with this issue than in our century. In a day in age where we have literally everything to make our lives easier, fast food, fast cars, the latest and greatest technology, we’re all still frequently caught saying, “I just don’t have time.”

When I was a youth minister, the answer most youth gave me for not spending time with God or on the things of God is this, TIME. I always reminded them that they make time for the things in their lives that are important to them. The guys spend literally hours and hours each week practicing football, lifting weights, training for the big game. The girls spent literally hours a week fixing their hair, applying makeup, picking out that perfect outfit, trying to impress that guy they’d like to go out with or impressing their latest hookup. You may say, oh I don’t do either of those things. But, I’m willing to bet if you kept a log of the things that you spent your TIME on. You would find that you spend your time on what is important to you. The Bible does remind us that, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21.

If you can make time for those other “less important” things in your life then you can make time for God. Can that extra practice or few minutes spent in front of the mirror really make the difference in your eternity that God can?

So, where do you spend your time? As an act of love we should spend time with God, and we should spend time serving God and others. God wants us to “make the most of our time.” Ephesians 5:16 , one version of the Bible says, Making the best use of your time, another says, making the most of every opportunity. Every day is FILLED with opportunities. There are opportunities to learn, opportunities to help others, opportunities to tell others about the Lord (see Chapter 13), opportunities to obey parents, opportunities to trust the Lord, etc. Every day is LOADED with opportunities. Am I missing out on these opportunities or am I making the most of them?

Every day God gives each one of us 1440 minute. A short poem I found online says this:

I have only just a minute, only sixty seconds in it,Forced upon me, can’t refuse it; didn’t seek it, didn’t choose it;But it’s up to me to use it. I must suffer if I lose it,Give account if I abuse it. It is only just a minute,BUT ETERNITY IS IN IT!

At the beginning of each day we can pray: “Lord, thank You for another day and for all the opportunities that will come my way. Help me to use the hours and minutes in the best possible way so that I can be a good steward of time.”

Don’t you feel loved when others spend time with and time on you? Think about it. For those of you who have a boyfriend, don’t you feel loved by him when he spends time with you? What about your best friend? You show people you care about them by spending time with them. Therefore, you can show the Lord that you love him by spending time with him. Spending time serving him in your local church and in your community, volunteering, singing in the church choir, taking care of children in the nursery, whatever ever needs done step in and do it as a spiritual act of service, and a way to be a good “steward”.

This is the second in a series of posts on stewardship to read the first post click here.

Do you have a daily quiet time? If you do not I challenge you to do so. This involves spending time with God daily, in prayer and Bible study. It involves setting aside time everyday for spending time alone, just you and God. This allows you to hear from God, Learn from his word, find answers to your problems, get direction for your life and have the knowledge to face almost any situation. In this way you will know how to be a good steward of another aspect of your life, that of your body.

The Bible says ,
“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” Psalm 119:11
Hiding God’s word in our hearts helps us to know how not to sin against God, most importantly with our bodies.
. What does the Bible say about the use of our bodies?

God has given each one of us a body which is “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14). What are some of the ways that we care for our bodies in a way that would please the One who is our OWNER?

What are some of the things that we should avoid (things that might harm our body and things that would not please the Lord)?

God has given me a brain and a mind. Am I using the mind God has given me? Do I pay attention in school and in church to my teachers and seek to learn all that I can? Do I ask God to help me to be learning new things every day?

Honoring God by what we do with our body is a form of spiritual worship . “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”(Romans 12:1-2)

It shows God that we respect him and our bodies, which are made in his image. Our body is literally a temple of the Holy Spirit of God. This temple is owned by God, and leased back to us for use to glorify God. If we use it to dishonor God sexually, it is sinning “against the body.” The consequences of sinning against one’s own body are not specified in this passage, but I believe they could include sickness, unbridled lust, missed opportunities to serve God and a chilling of our relationship with God.

“Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s”. The benefits of honoring God with our bodies are awesome. They include the fruits of the Holy Spirit, which include love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV). I encourage you to believe that these fruits are desirable and worth the effort of resisting the temptations of sin.

Last week my Mom Daughter Connection podcast was about “Taking Care of God’s Money”. I thought I would continue along these lines this week and share with you my view of stewardship, a related money topic.

This will begin a series of several posts on stewardship. I had a ton of information to share so check back for more.

How many of you remember getting your drivers license? Maybe you girls are longing to get your driver’s license. If so you can relate to the following story.

I remember getting my first car. A 1989 Ford Bronco II Eddie Bauer Edition I thought I was the “stuff”. I was the first girl in my class to get their own car. Boy, did I have a lot of friends that is until someone else got their own car. Anyway, that vehicle my daddy bought for me from a guy in our neighborhood for $5000. I remember my daddy setting his “rules” for my car. The number of people I could have ride with me, when I could drive it, where I could drive it. My daddy was a stickler for rules. I remember the first time one of my friends wanted me to drive them somewhere I knew my daddy had told me I couldn’t go in my car. I kept telling her no, and she kept saying, but it’s your car you can go where you want in it. But, was it really my car? No, it was my daddy’s car, after my daddy bought it, he paid for the gas and he paid for the insurance for me to drive it. I remember telling her that and she hung up the phone mad of course.

Now, as an adult, I have a vehicle it is mine, I paid the payments, I pay for the gas and the insurance, and I can go where I want to in it, let whomever I want to drive it, or ride in it, listen to whatever music I want to in it, it’s mine and I make the choices about that car. Now, if I let you borrow my car, would you be given the same privileges I have while you were in my car. Well, maybe, but most likely I’d put some stipulations on it, I might ask you not to drive over a certain speed or I might ask you not to eat in my car or listen to the music too loud, or even move the seat into a more comfortable position. I could do that right, because I own the car.

Now, let’s compare this to your life. Your life is yours right. You own it, and you control it. Well, let’s think about this for a minute. I’m assuming some of you have already taken the opportunity to accept God’s gift of salvation and therefore you consider yourself to be saved, and a follower of Christ, what we call a “Christian”. The Bible says that if this is the case that “you are not your own, you were bought at a price”, it goes on to say “therefore honor God with your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV) So, to me, this means that our life is not really OUR OWN, we belong to God and therefore we should honor God with our life, including our body, our time, our possessions, and our finances.

After all, isn’t God the owner of everything? David the Psalmist says so, in Psalm 24:1, “The Earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world and all that live in it.” If you believe that the Bible is the Word of God and that it is all true, then it is true that God owns EVERYTHING! He owns you, and me. He owns our cars, our houses, our land, the McDonald’s on every street corner in America, and the mansions in Beverly Hills. And, he lends to us and entrusts us with those things that he calls “his”. Isn’t that a privilege?

Just take a moment and think about your most treasured possession. Maybe it’s your favorite shirt, or a ring or piece of jewelry, or maybe its your cell phone or your IPOD maybe even a computer or even a car. Now, would you just want to give it to someone to take care of, or would you have a hard time trusting them with it, after all its yours.

However, God gives us all of his prized possessions and he trusts us with them. We know this because he loves us and blesses us daily. He gave us his son, Jesus, who died on the cross to save us from our sins. God completely gives to us all that is his.

He gives you our very life; a place to call home, food, water, possessions, every thing we call our own is given to us by God.

Now, this is where our responsibility to him comes in to play. We are asked by God to be good “stewards” of all that he has given to us. As Christians, we are asked to be stewards of God’s possessions and to receive what God gives to us gratefully.

Stewardship is the responsibility to take care of something that one does not own. As I said earlier, it is like entrusting your most prized possession to someone else. God has entrusted everything that is his to us.

If you believe that God is the rightful owner of everything then it is easier to be a good “steward” of all that is his. Stewardship has to become part of our “lifestyle”.

The lifestyle of teenagers today is almost “luxury”. It is even better than what I had, and I think I had it pretty good. My husband and I were just observing the other day at a family fish fry that every teenager there was carrying a cell phone around, plus they were all talking about one of their other luxuries that they had at home a personal MP3 player or IPOD. They knew how to upload and download stuff from the Internet, yet another one of our luxuries of today.

So how does a teenager who has everything give thanks to God for all that he or she has? The Bible tells us in Matthew 6:33 that we should “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Now, here God isn’t talking about cell phones and Ipods…. Go back a few verses. (read a couple of verses prior) He is basically telling us to seek him for our “needs”. Now, there is a lot of difference between needs and wants.

You’ve probably heard people say, “I have to have that pair of jeans” or “I need to see that movie.” Maybe you’ve even said those things yourself. But what does it mean? Will something horrible happen if you don’t have those jeans or need to see that movie? Probably not!
Needs are things that we truly can’t be without, such as:
· Nutritious food
· A place to live
· A warm winter coat
· A good pair of shoes
· Transportation
Wants are things you’d like to have, but if you don’t, you’ll still survive (in fact, you’ll be just fine). Like:
· Designer jeans
· Toys
· Candy
· Video games
We can be good stewards of God’s blessings by putting first things first. This means we must seek God first and those things that he has for us. God will take care of our needs and often times he even allows us to obtain things that we want as well.
What is important to know about seeking God first? This has to be done daily. Luke 9:23
Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

This involves a daily commitment to follow God and his will and purpose for your life. You do this through seeking his will for you daily. By approaching him daily in prayer and Bible study, then listening to and follow him.

We will continue talking about stewardship in the next post….stay tuned.

My dad was one of those dad’s that ruled with an iron fist. It was “his way or no way”. He often used the saying “because I said so and that’s all that matters”. My momma always had to consult him before any decision. In our house when we asked something of one parent they would always say, “Go ask your Father”, or “Go ask your Mother”. My parents always worked together and my daddy always had the last word.

Fathers are to be the “head of the household” according to the Bible and as daughters we must learn to respect our daddies. The father daughter relationship can be very important. Our relationship with our earthly daddy can teach us a great deal about our relationship with our Heavenly Father and it can have a great impact upon it as well.

A father’s relationship with his daughter can truly make an impact upon her for eternity. I am blessed that my father took such an active role in parenting me, even if he did do so with a strong will.

I know girls that sometimes it is difficult to deal with a strong fisted father. He only wants what is best for you. Moms, if you want to help your daughter with her relationship with her Father always encourage the strength of that relationship. Never try to outshine her father, always respect his wishes, and encourage her to respect him as well.

The Journey of Daughterhood Set which includes a book and a CD. It uses imagery found in a butterfly’s life cycle as lessons to draw from for father’s to direct their daughters on their own journey, The Life Cycles of Butterflies Book and The journey of Daughterhood CD message yields highly illustrative instruction for the father daughter relationship.

This resource will help a father and daughter in their relationship with each other. Encourage your daughter’s relationship with her father by using this valuable resource.

Ok, so I know it hasn’t officially “launched”, but I’m impatient I admit sooo I”m going to give you a Sneak Peek”. My blog especially for girls, tween and teen is up and I have posted my first couple of articles. So, go take a look, tell your teens and tweens, have them tell their friends, encourage them to join my group. All that fabulous stuff. Oh and you can get there by clicking here, or by clicking on the banner at the bottom of each of my posts here on the blog. Check it out, the ALL new, still to be filled with content, Teen Connection.

I was excited to do the podcast on Spiritual gifts because they are something that have always fascinated me. I ordered Discover Your God Given Gifts when I was in college. I remember sitting in my dad’s hospital room while he was having eye surgery on Christmas break and studying the book. My grandmother asked me “You’re out of school and still studying?” I remember replying, “Yeah, but this is something I want to learn about.” Spiritual gifts are quite interesting and there are literally 100s of resources out there about them. You must be very careful when finding good resources. You want to make sure that your sources is theologically sound. I was lucky with my first source, because I was young and naive and literally just picked something off of a Christian book distributors website. The others however, were recommended in a Spiritual Gifts for Women class that I took in seminary. So, I feel certain these are sound in their doctrine.

Now, The most important source that you can ever use for studying spiritual gifts is of course scripture, so I will be giving you plenty of that to look at as well. Here is a list of Scripture you should be sure and go to:

1 Corinthians 12
Romans 12
Ephesians 4
1 Peter 4

There are also many more specific verses that apply to specific gifts themselves. But, that is a start. Below you can also find the books I recommend for studying spiritual gifts.

If you downloaded last week’s study guide, “How to Have a Quiet Time” you will be wanting the answer key. Download it here. Answer Key

I highly recommend The Prayer of Jabez, a extraordinary, but small and easy read by Dr. Bruce H. Wilkinson. I had read it before several years ago, it isn’t a new book. But this time around has been different. I started reading it again as a part of my Sunday School class. We’re watching a video series where you watch Dr. Wilkinson himself talks about the book and you have a listening guide. It is really interesting. I am learning so much.

God truly wants to “bless” his people and God doesn’t mind us asking for his blessings. But we also have our responsibility ourselves to give of our time and ourselves. We need to give God our very best!

I also highly recommend the teen version of this book which I have used with the teens in my prior youth group as a study. So check both of these out! You won’t be disappointed.

I now have a back cover as well.

My very first publication, My Heart to His: Prayer Journal Devotional Guide, a guide for teen girls ages 12-18 on how to use a prayer journal is now available. This guide also includes devotionals on prayer. It is available for purchase at Lulu for $9.77 plus shipping. This is a must have for all teen girls. Prayer journaling is a lost art but a meaningful practice for teen girls to truly connect to GOD, and as a result growing in their relationship with Him.

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I have created a guide on Amazon.com of books I recommend to moms for their daughters, to help them connect to God. Check it out! My Amazon Guide.

]]> http://www.beautybydesignonline.com/2007/04/02/so-youd-like-to-help-your-daughter-connect-to-god-amazon-guide/feed/ 1 http://www.beautybydesignonline.com/2006/04/12/prayer-journaling/ http://www.beautybydesignonline.com/2006/04/12/prayer-journaling/#comments Wed, 12 Apr 2006 21:26:29 +0000 adavant http://www.beautybydesignonline.com/blog/?p=14

Prayer journaling is a lost art, well journaling for that matter. Just as this world has been taken over by email, rather than snail mail, text messaging, rather than a good old fashion phone call, we are plagued with wanting things to be quick and easy. Too bad we can’t email God, or can we? Well, the point is that we must take time to slow down and talk with Him, however we might choose to do it. But girls? Do you make time for talking to God, and more importantly listening to Him? If not, I encourage you to start, and this wonderful art of prayer journaling is a super way to make time to “sit at his feet” , and truly talk to and listen to our Lord and Savior. I owned my first prayer journal at the age of about 13. I’m not exactly sure why I started using one, I always loved to write in a diary or journal, and it was about this time in my life, that I was learning about what it meant to have a QUIET TIME, or Time alone with God.� This became an important part of my everyday life as it should, and I began to write my thoughts, dreams, hopes and prayers down in a journal. My mom bought me a pretty one at the store and I began to write. To date, I have more journals than I can count. I recently bought a pretty zebra striped one from the dollar store, and it is almost half full already, if that gives you any clue of how many I go through. I tend to write large though.

Ok, so I know you’re wondering, what do I write, how much do I have to write, all the common questions when we are asked to write something. Well, you write down your thoughts, your cares, your worries, your problems, your dreams, your hopes and even your prayers.� I find it comforting, and meaningful to write down what I want to say to God. Ok, now I know the next question… How do I talk to God? Well, girls, you talk to Him just like you’d talk to your best friend. He is, just like he or she, dieing to hear from you about yoru day, so he’s ready and willing to listen.� Then, as you read your devotion and Bible Reading for the day, you begin to listen to what he’s saying to you through what you are reading, through the circumstances in your life, and you write that as well.

I hope that you will begin this process today. Pick up a journal that you will be happy to carry around and write in and get that pen to paper! God Bless!

If you would like to purchase a journal now… here’s one that I recommend. Just Click on the link below to buy now!

My Prayer Journal – Pink/green For Girls (Hardcover)

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The first book that I will recommend and review is A Young Woman After God?s Own Heart A Teen Guide to Friends, Faith, Family and the Future. This book by best-selling author Elizabeth George is an everyday guide for girls to discover God’s purpose for their life.

I recommend this book because of its ease and readability. I am using this book in a mentoring relationship I am forming with a 6th grade girl in my church. In fact she doesn’t even know it yet, as she will find out this Wed. night that I am her mentor, and I will give her this book as a gift, along with a prayer journal. The two go hand in hand, so moms, if you purchase this book for your daughter, be sure and find a prayer journal to go along with it. In case you’re unsure of what I am talking about, let me explain. A prayer journal is simply a journal, a pretty bond book you can buy, or even just a spiral noteboo, but I prefer something a little nicer, so that it is special and important to your daughter. My mom bought me a new prayer journal every year for Christmas and it was stuffed in my stocking. I still have every one of these. Now, what is different about them than say a regular ole journal? Well, what you’re daughter writes in it of course. This will be a place for her to reflect and share her prayers, the desires of her heart with the LORD. I tend to write mine down in a bulleted list, but sometimes I will write out an entire prayer. Why is this meaningful? Well, for me it is amazing to get to go back to my prayer journal from when I was 14 (yes I still have it) and look to see what I was praying for then, has now come true now. Amazing, to see God’s hand in my life. Now, back to the book.

A Young Woman After God?s Own Heart I find is easiest to read in short segments. Daily reading of this along with Bible Study would be a perfect way to get your young preteen or teen girl started having a daily quiet time with the LORD. Each chapter outlines a differen way their heart should be devoted to and dedicated to God. It also gives her some things to think about in the Heart Response at the end of each chapter, and even a TO DO list to make her actually live out what she is reading and studying. This is something I think is so important, because it helps her to learn to actually LIVE OUT her FAITH in everyday life. THat is why I chose this book to use with the girl I am mentoring, as I want her to be able to LIVE OUT HER FAITH in the tough teen days ahead.

Click here to purchase A Young Woman After God’s Own Heart and support this ministry at the same time!

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Watch for my recommended reading list coming soon. I will be reviewing and recommending resources for both parents and teens.

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