I am looking for some guest bloggers to be a part of girlsminister.com. If you are interested, I’ve put together a document to give some guidelines and direction to help in determining if your content is best for this site. Feel free to download it and give me a shout out if this is something you would be interested in being a part of. CLICK THE FOLLOWING LINK: girlsministercom-content-guide
Tigertext: helping teens and adults cover their tracks
This is a new app only available on iphones right now but it allows a person to erase texts you’ve sent on another person’s cell phone. Interestingly named Tigertext. The company that released it promises that it was not named after Tiger Woods but ironically it would have been a program he would’ve benefitted from. I think this is not something that teaches teens how to use their phones. It bypasses consequences and moves straight to covering up their actions. I will never have this on my phone because I try to create boundaries in my phone useage that would never put me in a place that would cause me to send something I would want to have retracted. Not using my text messaging past certain hours. My question is: can this really delete poor texting decisions a teen or adult makes? Does the text still get documented somewhere that the authorities could trace it down. I would like to know more information—otherwise we will now have more Sexters unaccountable for their actions. Shane Hipps makes mention that when you bring in a technology into your life, you gain and you lose. What do you see the advantages of this technology being and what do you see the disadvantage of this technology being if it were to be introduced into your life or the life of your teens?
Visual Prayer reminders for our girls retreat
Prayer is important. I want to remember that as I get caught up in the details of planning for Snowball. So I took the time to make some visual prayer reminders on my hands. I see my hands all the time, and I want to remember to “be still (stop striving) and know that He is God.” So what have I written on my hands? (Do you like my “wonder twins-unite” picture that displays my prayer reminders?)
Romans 8:26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.
1 John 5:14-15 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.
What prayer reminders do you need to cling to in the midst of the week?
TweetTip of the iceberg
Just a little tip I’ve developed for myself to give me an idea of the possible magnitude of a problem or issue that is being talked about among the parents or students we work with. I call it: tip of the iceberg. If I hear feedback from 3 or more people that do not run in the same circles issuing the same concerns, then I know we’ve got an iceberg situation. I know that when the issue finally comes to me, then it’s probably been circulating among circles of parents and students already. So, should you begin to hear issues or concerns based on my tip, it’s time to address it or offer some solutions before it gets to be a barrier.
and if you are an attendee from the Girls Ministry Forum, this is the hidden post. So do your thing in the comment box to get your google voice number.
TweetDTXTER: Help for txt msg illiterates
Thought this was an interesting step that LG did for parents of teens. They created the “dtxter” which seeks to help decode or encode a text message. Check it out at www.lgdtxtr.com
The Quest For Size 0 Is Causing a Generation of Unhealthy Girls
When I was growing up we had fun little fruits and vegetables singing cute songs to us inbetween cartoons. They taught me the food pyramid songs. I honestly never dieted in school. I didn’t struggle with my weight. I didn’t even know what caloric values were then. I wish our girls didn’t have to have such unrealistic expectations put upon their self images and bodies like they are having to endure today. Maybe you know some girls who are locked in what appears to be a Thin Cage. More than ever, girls are living unhealthy lifestyles and they don’t realize the implications of their “NOW” decisions. To read more about how to handle this in your girls ministries, go to this article on dieting.
I saw this report and thought I would pass it on to you.
Janet Treasure, an eating disorders expert, said a ‘size zero’ obsession could be leading young girls to swing between starvation diets and junk food binges.
She said the fashion industry’s obsession with catwalk thinness left models at high risk of eating disorders yet millions felt inspired to try to copy them.
Professor Treasure, who is based at King’s College London, said: ‘Controlling weight and shape has become a moral imperative for many young girls. It is almost a sign of goodness to be slim.
‘The brain is undergoing a great phase of development from 12 to 25 and it needs a proper balance of oils and nutrients.
‘If you impair that critical phase, moods become less regulated, you have more difficulty understanding other people and you become less flexible in your thinking…
Read more: of the article here.
4 Triggers Satan Likes To Use In Attacking People and Girls Ministries
I had a good conversation with Pam Gibbs, Lifeway Girls Ministry Specialist the other day. That’s the joy of being so close to Lifeway—we can just drop in on people. It was a quick discussion about what was going on in the girls ministry and in my life, and vice versa. She’s getting ready for a girls conference that is being hosted at Lifeway in about a week. Still time to register and i hear there are going to be some great breakout leaders there :). But in the midst of that conversation it linked up with my previous article about The Deceiver, and I started to discuss how recently I had been aware of some of his activity around me as I planned for events and such. We talked about the reality of spiritual warfare. It was a reminder to both of us that Satan is prowling around. We often go about our lives and forget that we truly need to be alert and on guard to Satan’s attacks. Here are 4 quick triggers that I found written in the back of my teenaged bible this past week. It meant a lot to me then to write it down, and when I stumble across it—those 4 words are always great reminders of how Satan likes to prowl and attack.
Satan wants to DEVOUR. (He is not playing around. He will attack with a flesh wound and then go for the juggler.)
What does he try to devour? Reputations. Marriages. Families. Time spent with God. What else have you seen him try to devour?
Satan wants to DISCOURAGE. This is one in particular that he continually uses to bring me down. And what happens when we’re discouraged? We lose confidence. We become focused on us. We lick our wounds and can’t lift our heads to see others.
Satan wants to DIVIDE. I see this happen a lot in our girls ministries and I see it happen among ministries. If Satan can divide, then he has weakened the impact of the team. Also I like to think of it like this, it’s like a paper cut. You may not think the quick cut to the skin will do much damage, but if that division is not mended properly then an infection sets in and well the rest gets pretty gorey but it ends with gangrene.
Satan wants to DIVERT. This one is kinda clever. This is when we get off-focus and get away from the mission God called us to in the first place. This is when the gospel kind of gets pushed to the corner for someone’s pursuit of themselves or maybe other motives that are not God-centered. This one could have me stepping on toes—mine first though:).
Now a question for you? Have you seen this going on lately? Don’t forget to find encouragement in 1 Peter 5:8-11. 🙂
1 Peter 5:8-11 (MSG)
Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up. You’re not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It’s the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering won’t last forever. It won’t be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ—eternal and glorious plans they are!—will have you put together and on your feet for good. He gets the last word; yes, he does.
Tweet11 Verses To Share With Girls To Guard Their Hearts From The Deceiver
I was deceived yesterday. It’s an awful feeling. I had begun to build some hopes and plans on this “opportunity” I was inquiring about. See, we are trying to sell our home and after almost 5 months of having to be ready at a moment’s notice to get out and let strangers walk through to see if they want to buy the home, I started realizing how stressed it was making me. That’s when I saw this amazing deal on craigslist that offered a luxury apartment for 1/2 price very close to our church that was pretty snazzy as well. I thought we could move there and wait for our home to sell. I contacted the landlord and she was very nice. She emailed me that someone had tried to move in but something fell through so we were the 2nd in line. All we needed to do was fill out a credit report. Well, we didn’t lose any money but we realized yesterday that she had scammed us so that she would get paid for referrals to this credit report site. There was no apartment for sale. OUCH! I was so hurt. I was angry too because I thought I should have seen this coming. But then I grieved a little over the plan I had figured out in my mind. I had been deceived.
As I was going home, I spoke with a mother who was concerned that her daughter was having a problem recognizing her worth and value. As I heard some of what the daughter was saying about herself, I realized that both this daughter and I bumped into the Deceiver. The definition for DECEIVER is: to cause to accept as true or valid what is false or invalid.
You realize that’s what Satan is called in scripture right?
Genesis 3:13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” • The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
Just like Eve, It was obvious to me that I had been deceived but I started to wonder how often I am deceived.
So let’s look a little bit more into that. What was the lie that Satan told Eve?
Genesis 3:4-5 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die. ?For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.
What lies am I buying into that I’ve allowed Satan to whisper into my heart? What lies have taken root and caused insecurities and hurt…some that I may not even be able to see?
Satan’s attack was first to get Eve to question God’s truth. As you read what Satan says, it’s sounds very similar in nature to the “How far is too far” question. Second, Satan Denied God’s truth about death. And finally, Satan told Eve something that she didn’t even know she wanted but then before long, she took a bite.
Here is a list of “I AM” statements that remind us of God’s truth. As you read through them, think through lies your girls and leaders may hear from The Deceiver. Which one of these truths is Satan trying to attack and get them to buy into one of his lies?
1 Corinthians 6:20 (You are not your own. you were bought with a price)
Colossians 3:3 (you died and your life is hidden with Christ)
Phil. 1:6 (God will complete the good work He started in me)
Ephesians 1:5 (I am adopted as His Child)
Ephesians 2:10 (We are God’s workmanship created in christ Jesus to do good works…)
Ephesians 2:19 (we are fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household)
Ephesians 3:12 (We may approach God with freedom and confidence)
Ephesians 2:22 (I am a dwelling in which God lives)
Gal. 2:20 (I am crucified with Christ)
2 Cor. 5:17 ( I am a new creation)
Romans 8:2 (set free from sin)
Now I want to hear from you. Why do you think a particular scripture above is key in guarding the hearts of ours and the girls we work with? What lies do you see being conquered as a result of girls truly leaning into the truth of God’s word above?
TweetInterview from EEA21.eu regarding girlsministry!
Last week I had the serendipitous moment of meeting with Colin Piper from Europe. Colin is Youth Adviser to the European Evangelical Alliance, and a co-ordinator of EEA21, which is a community of those passionate about reaching young Europeans for Christ. www.eea21.eu is the site that he manages to connect people across Europe that work with students. We were connected through a mutual friend and he asked if he could interview me regarding girlsminister.com to be available to those who were looking for girls ministry resources in Europe. I was delighted to do so. Here is the interview and check out www.eea21.eu for more resources and information.
TweetGetting girls to click into your student ministry…
I remember the first day on the job as a girlsminister. It was our fall retreat! I was surrounded by cliques of girls and I couldn’t figure out how to get inside of one of those circles. They all seemed to be looking at me—the new girl—and sizing me up. Didn’t they realize I was an adult and the girls minister?! I think I thought there would be instant connection like there was when I worked summers at the large Christian camps. Just because I was camp staffer, I often had students come up and start talking with me about some pretty heavy things. But, this was not how it was on my first day on the job. There were some sweet people that tried to come over and introduce themselves but mostly it was cliques. Then on Sundays and Wednesdays there was the hallway that I renamed “The Gauntlet”. It was a horrible hallway because you had to walk down it to get into the sunday school room and lining every square inch of wallspace were groups of girls that weren’t talking to me but to each other. Very intimidating! I’m very thankful for the gauntlet and for that first fall retreat because it reminds me of what it feels like to be new in our student ministry. It’s scary!
That’s why I worked with some leaders and some girls to have a strategy to receive new girls into our student ministry. The idea is the 1-2-3 CLICK! method. Now understand that we don’t just go around saying “hey new girl…this is how we’re going to get you connected in three clicks.” This is just something that I have used to explain to students or leaders to help them understand how to continue reaching out to new people that have been introduced to our student ministry.
Here’s the basic premise:
1. Meet a girl who is unconnected and introduce her to her peer group.
2. Take her to coffee or introduce her to a peer or leader which will take her to coffee to get to know her.
3. Get her connected to a lifegroup of girls who have hung out with her or introduce her to a relationship building catalyst like Snowball Girls Retreat. AND CLICK! She’s in.
I have observed that typically after 3 intentional relationship connections from you the leader, to a healthy peer group, to a bonding event or small group and the student will click into a place they feel welcomed and known within your student ministry. How do you get girls connected and help them feel safe, loved and known in your student ministry?
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