First up on Parent Talk, 6/1, is Dove Award-winning singer/songwriter Cheri Keaggy who is set to unveil her most vulnerable album to date, So I Can Tell, on July 10. The first CD since her independent 2007 release, Because He First Loved Us, Keaggy draws on the encouragement of Scripture and her utter reliance on the comforting power of God to create an honest, engaging recording that is reflective of her emergence from a difficult season in life.

“Cheri’s new CD is a real blessing on many levels and these songs are among my favorite Cheri songs,” says Phil Keaggy. “They are brimming with heart and truth. There is a deep passion in her lyrics that truly touches the soul of the listener.Cheri really shines on this masterful collection of her original material. This CD will touch you and lift you with hope.”

Penned following the end of her nearly 23-year marriage to her high school sweetheart, So I Can Tell is a testimony of God’s goodness in the midst of pain and suffering. Like a modern day psalmist, Keaggy’s lyrics express grief, loneliness, and God’s comfort in the contemporary hymns “Bind Me To You,” “There Will Be One Day” and the arresting “Hello, God.” She echoes the apostle Paul in the memorable piano ballad “To Live is Christ” and celebrates Christ’s provision in the ukulele-based crowd favorite “Air, Food, and Water.”

Cheri Keaggy began her career as a worship leader at a small church in Southern California before recording her debut album on Sparrow Records, Child of the Father, in 1994.… continue reading

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When you think of reusing as a means of caring for creation, what comes to mind?

Reuse has two main parts. Rerouting something that appears to be trash into a second life, and diverting something you’re done with from your home to someone else’s. In either case, you’re simply delaying the inevitable, so reusing isn’t as effective as reducing, which we talked about last month.

Many of us think first of crafts made from items detoured from the trash bin. I mean, how cute is this caterpillar decorated by my not-quite-four-year-old great-nephew? However, no matter how many uses you can find for toilet paper rolls and empty soup cans, siphoning items into crafts isn’t going to make a significant difference to the planet. Don’t take that as a reason not to repurpose junk into (temporary) treasure. It’s definitely a step up from buying craft kits that don’t offer any reusable or reused products at all. Just be realistic about the long-term impact, or lack thereof.

Now some people have made true art from discards, a practice that is often called upcycling. Nikinut and Clone Hardware are two Etsy shops that feature jewelry made from electronic gadgetry. How cool are those?… continue reading

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by Shari Braendel

What woman doesn’t have a secret love affair with denim? Whether it’s your favorite pair of jeans paired with an unfussy blazer, a blue jean skirt worn with a classic blouse, an old denim jacket thrown on with a flirty floral dress or an overly washed pair of boyfriend jeans that take you to the local farmer’s market on a casual Saturday morning, denim is an all time beloved wardrobe staple taking up a lot of space in our closets.

Denim is on trend any season, and this summer is no exception. As a Mom, jeans are likely your preferred go-to wardrobe piece and since I consider myself your personal style expert, let me walk you through some of the ways you can wear denim this summer so you can look like a million-dollar mama!

Metallic shine: Edgy and forward thinking, will take you from day to night.

Antique floral: Wear soft, faded rose prints with vintage, lacy blouse.

Bohemian, tie-dye: Bring back the 60’s with splash.

Houndstooth: Wear this classic print  with a tailored blouse or basic tee.

Colored Denim: For your very laid-back pieces, like shorts and skinny jeans.… continue reading

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By Jill Hart

The balancing act – every mother’s nightmare. Many days we feel like circus jugglers with more plates in the air than we can possibly handle. The summer adds to the insanity with the kids at home, swimming lessons to attend and numerous other distractions. Over the years, however, I’ve learned a few secrets that help me keep things in perspective:

Keep God First

In Matthew 6:33 we’re told to seek God’s kingdom above all else. Like the apostle Peter who saw Jesus walking on water and asked to join him – as soon as we take our eyes off of Christ and begin to doubt, we sink.

In order to keep our eyes on Him, we need to be in relationship with Him. Schedule time in your day to read God’s Word and to talk with Him in prayer. Surround yourself with friends who love the Lord and who will point you back to Him when you struggle.

Don’t Be Afraid To Choose Family Over Business

As business owners, we do our best to maintain professionalism even when we’re working at our kitchen table with kids hanging on to our ankles. We have deadlines, client demands to meet and emails and phone calls to return.… continue reading

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Tune in Friday, May 25th, at 10am EST for Parent Talk!

Kristen Billerbeck will join us to chat about her books and other things girly. She writes with faith, froth, and a designer handbag!

Women’s fiction, YA for girls, chick lit…Kristin writes for girls of all ages. If you haven’t read her books before, you’ll want to tune in to hear about them. If you have, then you’ll be tuning in just to get to know Kristin!

Parents of teens, Kristin’s got some great summer reading for your teens. If you haven’t thought about picking up a nice hefty stack of books for your teen’s summer, stay tuned for the next guest who will convince you!

And, on a personal note, if you’re someone who’s looking for advice on how to get published, or you’re in need of manuscript advice, check out Kristin’s top tips for writers.

Following my chat with Kristin, I’m pleased to welcome a dear friend and Choose NOW columnist, Christa Allan!

A true Southern woman who knows that any cook worth her gumbo always starts with a roux and who never wears white after Labor Day, Christa Allan is a writer of not your usual Christian Fiction.… continue reading

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Sunscreen?

Check.

Swim suit?

Check.

Crime and Punishment?

Heck!

Five minutes before the last bell rings on the last day before summer vacation, the anticipation in the classroom is palpable. As the clock ticks down, the walls vibrate with expectancy.

Thirty sets of eyes follow the tick of the minute hand. 4-3-2-1- On cue, students explode into and fill the hallways, propelled like air out of popped balloons. Visions of sea and sand and sleeping late replace papers and projects and procrastination. At least for many students. For many others, there is required summer reading.

Research continues to show that the months between May/June and August/September can negatively impact learning for students in elementary, middle, and high school.

Consider this sobering highlight from “Lost Summers: For Some Children, Few Books, and Few Opportunities to Read” published in Classroom Leadership and noted on the State Library of Iowa website: “In the elementary grades, ‘a summer loss of 3 months accumulates to become a gap of 18 months by the end of 6th grade. By middle school, summer reading loss…produces a cumulative lag of two or more years in reading achievement, even when effective instruction during the school year is available.’”

The bottom line is that reading builds vocabulary, improves comprehension, sharpens critical thinking skills, and whitens your teeth (if only it did; the cost of one of those products is more than a paperback).… continue reading

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by Betsy St. Amant 

What does being a Good Girl mean to you? Does it mean always doing the right thing, while gritting your teeth and pushing away the urge to do what you really want to do? Or does it mean doing the right thing because that’s truly your desire?

What’s the difference?

Is there one?

I think so.

I think being a Good Girl means ultimately means being a God Girl. And that means being more caught up in the heart and the motive behind our actions than in the actions themselves. That’s how God sees it.

Think about it. It’s hard enough to do the right thing for the wrong reasons. But it’s really hard to do the right thing for the right reasons.

In the choices you make, where is your heart? Are your motives pure? Or are you sucking it up and getting it done because you have to? Because you think you don’t have a choice or because you’re looking to please man instead of God?

God knows our hearts. “For the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts.” (1 Chronicles 28:9)

It’s sort of like when we stub our toe or get a paper-cut and say “fishsticks” instead of what we really want to say.… continue reading

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by Sherri Wilson Johnson

Welcome to the first in a series of posts on purity written specifically for you. Over the months ahead we’re going to break down the word PURITY using an acronym. We’re going to see that you can stay pure without being a loser and without having to live in a bubble. You can look fashionable and have lots of friends and admirers but still be a Godly young person.

Last month I posted my first post over on the parent side of this blog. I talked about my dating history and why purity is so important to me. Here’s the link in case you want to read it:  On Inspiring Purity.

I’ll tell you a few quick tidbits about my life. As a teen, I thought of boys every day, all day. I was boy-crazy. I wanted a boyfriend and if I had one, I wanted a different one. I spent so much time thinking about boys that I neglected my school work and my spiritual walk. And I didn’t think about the fact that I was earning a bad reputation. Although I was pure, my actions left room for doubt.

Now I’m a mom of two young adults who’ve been raised to value their time, reputation, and purity.… continue reading

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by Jill Williamson

Years ago, sometime back in 2005, my husband and I took the teen leaders in our youth group down to Saddleback Church. We thought it was fun to show our teens that all churches aren’t the same. And we also liked to “spy” on other churches and see what cool ideas we might steal for our own youth ministry.

That night, Doug Fields gave the talk, which was “Tell your story.” This message hit me hard because up until that point, I’d been afraid to tell my story. I thought that if the teens knew the person I’d been, they’d be disappointed in me. But Doug said the opposite that night. He said that my personal story, my journey to faith, needed to be heard. He said, “Next to God’s story, your story may be the second greatest one ever told.”

I left that place convicted. And I started telling my story. And it brought people closer to me, rather than pushing them away. Because you know what? We’ve all messed up! And the fact that I had messed up made me a real human being to the teens in our youth group. It made them realize that they weren’t the only ones who’ve messed up.… continue reading

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In MADE TO CRAVE FOR YOUNG WOMEN (Zondervan), based on the New York Times bestsellerMade to Crave, bestselling author Lysa TerKeurst teams with social researcher Shaunti Feldhahn to show every teenage girl how to do just that – and give every mom the opportunity to discuss having true confidence in three vitally important areas.  MADE TO CRAVE FOR YOUNG WOMEN addresses the many “cravings” young women experience.

TerKeurst and Feldhahn have divided these cravings into three types—physical, material, and emotional—and highlight how these cravings manifest themselves in the need to diet, shop, and gain acceptance from others, especially boys.  This book equips teen girls (and their moms) with the tools necessary to avoid these destructive worldly cravings and move the focus to craving God.  Feldhahn and TerKeurst tell their own very personal stories of growing up with the typical heartbreaking moments that most teen girls experience.

They bring in research that Feldhahn conducted with 1,000 teenage girls, and the results of focus groups conducted for this book, to show each reader that she is not alone, and that no matter how “good” others look, they deal with the same cravings.  Through their firsthand accounts, research, and a series of “action plans” and “reality checks” they help girls navigate these difficult years, by encouraging them to avoid succumbing to the countless influences around them—the pull of excessive Facebook time,  the desire to either eat for comfort or starve themselves to look thin, and the temptation to seek affirmation from popular girls and guys at school.… continue reading

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By Renee Fisher

Loyalty. It hurts when someone leaves, breaks up, or cheats on you. It hurts beyond words. Misery loves company, and that’s why God asks us to get connected. We’re here to encourage one another. Take long walks. Talk and share. Pray together and point each other back to God–even when He is silent.

I know some of you–myself included–have experienced deep sorrow from a painful breakup. From someone breaking his or her commitment. Maybe you’re the one who broke it. You never know how God’s going to redeem your love story. He’s still writing the pages as we speak. Learn to trust Him and put your hand in His. He’ll lead you down the path of righteousness. Next time you’re tempted to believe you’re the only one with heartache in relationships, take heart and think again.

Since the time of Genesis, God has been making and remaking His covenant to His people. Unlike your ex, ‘God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carry it through?’ (Numbers 23:19). No. Say it again: No!… continue reading

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