By Guest Writer Rachelle Rae

The Bible is full of stories in which God asked His children to “get up and go!”

Recently, He’s been having me dig a little deeper into those very stories. And He’s boggled my mind with this fact: When the Lord asked His people to go, He rarely told them where they were going! (more…)

By Guest Writer LuraKate Pijanowski

I have a self-esteem issue. It’s not just an issue, though — it’s actually a huge problem in my life.

Recently I signed up to go on a mission trip to New York City, and I was worried about what others thought of me, and how I was going to get along with everyone on the trip. The first day of the trip I was so nervous about whether or not people liked me, that I had a panic attack while serving in a soup kitchen. (more…)

P.S. You can use this time to work on a poem for our contest! Just click on the “contests” tab to review the rules (and prizes)!

Do you wish you knew what it meant to be “called”?

Do you feel that God is leading you into ministry, but have no clue how to take the next step?

Do you want a mentor, but don’t know where to find one?

Check out Explore the Call, a site that offers podcasts where mentors share what it means to be called, how they started, and they answer questions from teens who want to make a difference.

It also offers links to sites that offer even more information, as well as interactive elements like a blog. It’s a great spiritual mentor site that is new and growing, and filled with content that will answer the big questions you’ve been asking about changing the world.

What does it take to change the world? I’m not big enough. You aren’t big enough.

But love is big enough.

Mother Theresa said, “We can do not great things, only small things with great love.”

This past Sunday our youth pastor challenged the teens to serve others, to change their thoughts from selfish to selfless. That’s not something we can do completely on our own. The trap is that our actions can become the focus. The world is looking for someone to applaud.

But when the motivation is love, it completely changes why you’re doing what you’re doing.

You’d do it even if no one noticed.

You’d do it even if your effort wasn’t appreciated.

So where do you start? Do you pick up a shovel or a hammer or create a website or send a donation?

It begins with the heart. Ask God to help you love others. To show you one thing – one small thing covered with great love – that you can do.

Jamin Goecker, RTF Staff 

Joshua Guthrie, 16, and his family has given things such as goats to people in poorer countries through an organization known as World Vision. At the age of 15, he set a goal to raise $8000 to put the project into affect. World Vision served as the inspiration for the project, but Joshua worked through an organization known as Baptist Global Response.

Jamin Goecker: Did you ever envision yourself doing something like this [raising funds for wells in Africa]?

Joshua Guthrie: In order to answer this, I need to give a bit of a background. My parents have always taught my sister and I to have a desire to give to the needy, and we have been supporters of World Vision for as long as I can remember. In case you are not familiar with them, they are an organization which focuses on taking funds from their supporters and getting it put to good use around the world for various needs. We have supported several children thought their organization, and my sister and I have made purchases at Christmases for needy children. I remember when we bought a goat once.

Anyway, if you are a supporter of the organization then you receive a catalogue from them once a month (I think). This catalogue contains items which you purchase not for yourself but for others around the world. It contains things such as farm animals, clothing, medicine, and irrigation supplies/tools, among many other things. Well, there happened to be a section dedicated to wells in the catalogue, and I had always thought it would be really cool to purchase one of the biggest items in the catalogue: the $10,000 well.

Just to clarify at this point: DfaD is not working through World Vision; we are working through Baptist Global Response (BGR). World Vision was simply my inspiration to want to get started on something
I really started to think a little more seriously about wanting to get one of those wells at the beginning of 2008; I was 15 at the time. Well, being 15 I knew that I wouldn’t be able to save up for it all myself; I would have to raise it.
All of this to come to the answer to your question: yes and no.

I believe that I had always known that the possibility existed (all things are possible with God, after all!), but if you had asked me at the beginning of 2008 if I thought I would be doing a fundraiser for wells in Africa over the fall of that year then I would have probably answered no. I knew that I had the desire to do something, I just didn’t know how to get started.

Jamin Goecker: Did you see yourself as a leader when you started? (more…)

Hey girls,

I’m a Proverbs 31 Ministries speaker and just found out some amazing news. Proverbs 31 is offering a number of full scholarships to our She Speaks Conference ~ Next Generation Track for girls ages 12 to 17 who submit winning devotions.

What’s really cool about this is that the conference is full–packed! Women are flying in from around the country, but there’s still a little room for a few amazing teen girls.

For contest application and rules or for more information, contact Kristen@proverbs31.org or go to this website.

Enter the contest today!! Contest ends Friday, June 5, 2009.

Conference Information: She Speaks Conference: The Next Generation Track

Proverbs 31 Ministries’ Annual Speakers’ and Writers’ Conference
July 31-August 2, 2009

Concord, North Carolina

Gain the confidence you need to make a difference wthin your own sphere of influence!

The Next Generation Track will equip you with skills that will enable you to answer God’s call on your life to impact others through speaking, writing, or simply setting an example for His kingdom.

For more information or to register for this life-changing conference, visit P31 at http://www.shespeaksconference.com/  or call 877-P31-HOME

She Speaks 2009

DON’T MISS IT!

by Debra Weiss, RTF Staff Writer

DW: On your site, you state that femininity isn’t dead, it just needs to be reclaimed. What is the Biblical definition of femininity and how can we as young women reclaim it?

Hannah: Whew! What a question! Biblical womanhood is a controversial issue these days, and it’s difficult to define it in a single paragraph. A bare bones definition of “femininity” is simply “womanly-ness.” For us, that means being the women God calls us to be through His Word.

It means knowing that we’re equal in worth to the guys, but differ in our design and role. (Think of it like harmony and melody; they’re both different, but work together to make a more beautiful sound than either could alone.) But by “role,” I don’t mean that women are held captive to one specific cookie-cutter pattern. Our God-given talents cannot contradict our God-given femininity.

We’re meant to use all of our gifts–though our talents might not be displayed in the way the world generally expects women to use them. At the same time, obedience to God brings true freedom; the girl who submits to God’s role for women finds more joy than she could’ve ever concocted for herself.

DW: I have three younger sisters. One of them is nine and I’ve always wondered how do you leave behind a legacy not of physical beauty but of spiritual beauty, a beauty that does indeed come from the heart. Any thoughts on how we as girls can influence our younger sisters?

Lindsey: Oh, that’s a convicting one. I have two younger sisters also (ages 12 and 8), so this question really resonates with me; I’m always asking it too.

As the oldest, it’s been so important for me to recognize just how much our younger sisters do imitate us. We even have the potential to set the mood of a day by our example! (more…)