Good Monday morning, ladies!

Anybody have a case of the Mondays today? Like this pup?

Seriously made me laugh. I hope you did, too.

I started writing a post late Friday morning then decided to press hold and wait until today. I knew better than to publish anything because seriously, on a Friday afternoon in the summer, who reads a blog? Weekends, though they seem to rush on by in real life, tend to be much slower on the blog. So here we are. Yet another weekend behind us. Yet another Monday ahead of us. Grin.

If you don’t have a case of the Mondays, maybe you feel like this…

Yes, yes, yes! I won’t admit how often I think we need three day weekends instead of just two days. Of course, I’m kidding. Maybe. A co-worker sent me an email forward last week with some hilarious “when dogs talk” pictures and I just couldn’t help but share. I NEVER send forwards to people, but even I had to forward it on to a handful of folks. Anyway, I hope some of us, or all of us, can relate.

I, for one, am happy to see last week go. You know how some weeks you just feel like the enemy is doing everything to make you quit and just feel alone? That’s how I felt. I’m only telling you that because I know for a fact I’m not alone in that, and sometimes, we need to hear someone else say it so that we don’t feel even more alone. Thankfully, His mercies are new not just every day, but every week. Can I get an amen?

However, as silly as it seemed, I was going to wish all of you an official “Happy Summer!” on Friday, as it was, according to the calendar, the first official day of summer. I’m not sure how June 21st rolls around every year having already felt like we’ve had two months of summer weather, but that’s how Houston rolls.

I kicked off the so-called official summer by enjoying my apartment pool for a little bit on Saturday. Otherwise known as my happy place.

That’s a perk of apartment living. (Which outweighs some of the non-perks. Grin.) You get to enjoy the pleasures of a pool you may not otherwise have in your backyard. Especially on a very hot day in Houston. It was good.

Despite last week not being my favorite week, there were some highlights worth sharing.

1) We celebrated our beloved Beth’s birthday!

As you can imagine, she’s easy to love and celebrate! It was a simple lunch celebration at the office, but it was delightful. Could Mexican food brought in be anything but delightful? One thing she’s taught me, besides the million other Jesus things, is the gift of receiving! Quite literally, I don’t know anyone that receives gifts as well as she does. She simply makes you believe the gift you gave her is her most favorite thing ever and receives it with much glee and thankfulness! That alone is a gift, y’all. I think it makes it fun for both the giver and the receiver. If someone gives you a gift, be glad! Receive it well! Shoot, let the giver bless you! We don’t need to feel greedy, just thankful. Needless to say, we laughed, celebrated, then nearly collapsed from a food overdose. Grin.

2) This didn’t actually happen last week, but y’all. I’d like you to meet our resident LPM lizard.

If it is unclear to you, this lizard, whom we’ve not named, is eating a roach in one picture and a butterfly in the other. I hope you’re not eating lunch while reading this post. If so, my deepest apologies. He went for a little sweet and a little salty, and dude can hunt. I’m almost afraid to come back to the office from lunch afraid for fear we’ll find him after his hunt. Anyway, I thought you might find it interesting. Or disgusting. Or both. But I felt it was good blog material. Don’t you? Laughing.

3) Girls Bible study!

I’m not sure I’ve mentioned it on the blog but as if Gideon wasn’t enough, we’re doing a small Girls Bible study this summer. In the words of our Siesta Mama, we’re afraid of boredom around here! That’s the truth! Last summer, I think I mentioned that I led some girls through So Long, Insecutiry. It was a lot, but so good. Girls ministry at LPM is still something we’re  working on and trying to figure out, so we’re taking it one sememster at a time. This summer, we’re just meeting four times together and each week someone different is joining us to share something unique with the group. It might just be my favorite summer yet. We met for the first time two week ago, we’ll meet again tomorrow, and two more evenings in July. If it comes to mind, we’d love your prayers! Oh, that this would not be in vain and would bear much fruit in the girls coming. They are the sweetest things ever. So timid. So outgoing. (I know, right?) So adorable. So loveable. So much room to grow. I’m excited for what’s ahead!

Well, I think that’s all for now. Just a little random, catch up since it’s been a week since I’ve said hi! Signing off for now. Much to do on this hot Monday in Houston!

Happy Monday!

This past Sunday at church we sang a song called “Bones” by Hillsong United. I was given the privilege to lead it for our congregation. A year ago I would have never even told you that I led a song for our church, rather, I would have just left it at the fact that we sang and I enjoyed it. However, over the past two or so months the Lord has really been doing a transforming work in my mind and when you see fruit from the transformation and taste a little bit of victory, it’s deeply satisfying. That is, the grace the Lord has poured out on you.

I’ve been discovering that when the Lord calls you to an area in your gifting to serve the body of believers He’s placed you in, timidity in entering into that calling out of fear is simply false pride. The gifts He’s given you are just that, gifts. You did nothing to earn it or even ask for it, so step into it with grace, confidence and a humility asking the Lord to accomplish in the Spirit what only He can. How much do we all miss out on simply because fear is holding us back? I’ll be the first to raise my hand and admit I’m so guilty. Lord, help us. And He does! I’m convinced that when the Lord transforms your thinking, it in turn transforms your serving.

Can anyone say rabbit trail? That’s is absolutely not where I was planning on going when I started writing this post, but it’s certainly what I’ve been challenged with lately so I’ll leave it in there and move on. Grin. (I’m feeling a little all over the place today.)

Originally, what I wanted to share with you these simple lyrics we sang.

Oh Jesus, Alive in me.

Short and sweet, yet simply profound.

Isn’t that what we’re all after? That Jesus would be alive in us each and every day?

That we would be different, think different and act different because today He was alive in us? I don’t know how I can tangibly explain that Jesus makes a difference, but He absolutely does, without a doubt. If scripture tells us that it is “to our advantage” that when Christ went away He would send us our helper, the Holy Spirit (John 16:7), then I want to press into that advantage.

In my obsessive, anxious mind, uttering the words Jesus brings me almost instantaneous peace. Only Jesus can do something like that.

“You can calm the ocean, speak peace into my soul. Take me as I am, awaken my heart to beat again.”

When I feel like my world is spinning out of control, the fact that my name is engraved in the palm of God’s hands is indescribable. Translation: He really does care for me greatly and deeply.

“In his hand is the life of every living thing
 and the breath of all mankind.” Job 12:10

“Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.” Isaiah 49:15-16

When someone disappoints me, I’m all the more reminded that Jesus is the ONE person that won’t disappoint me. He’ll never leave me or forsake me. Does that mean things always go the way I wished they would? No. That would be a far cry from reality. But I do know that the things I’ve always hoped for that have eventually let me down, He’s not only come through but exceeded those hopes and dreams.

Yes, Jesus, be alive in me.

I recently told my coworkers that worshiping through singing sets my mind in a posture to receive from the Lord and be content in His love.

I sense His love and his pleasure when I’m singing and worshiping. You might not know it from the outside (much like you might not know when I feel like I’m going crazy from the outside), but the way it brings a calmness and peace to my mind, the joy I feel from worshiping, is almost unmatched. It’s simply where I can feel His presence. And it is good.

I know enough to know that feeling His presence isn’t the basis of our faith, but I can tell you it’s important. When we learn to seek God and find Him in our own intimate way, I know He is pleased as well. I’ve well learned that I don’t get any pleasure out of knowing Christ intimately through the faith of someone else.

There are few things I can do that allow me to surrender my frantic thinking and enjoy the Lord’s presence. Reading a good book allows me to do this as well. It doesn’t mean I never worry again, but it’s in these moments that I can breathe a sure breath and know God really in in control.

I can’t speak for everyone, but I want more of His presence. More of His Spirit. More of His peace. More of His mind.

I don’t know where and when you most sense God’s pleasure and presence.

For some it’s singing.
Reading.
Worshiping.
Running.
Memorizing scripture.
Dancing.
Gardening.
Bible Study.

Whatever it is, wherever it is you feel most at home in the presence of God, I’d encourage you to find it, cultivate and practice it often. Finding Him as our refuge and shelter is of utmost importance.

You can ask my coworkers, I don’t go a day without listening to music while working in the quietness of my own office. And rest assured, nearly the minute I walk away from my desk, I’m either humming or singing something. It’s true. And maybe annoying. But it is for my good.

We know this to be true; the nearness of God IS our GOOD.

Oh Jesus, Alive in me.

Yes and amen.

“But as for me, God’s presence is all I need. I have made the sovereign LORD my shelter, as I declare all the things you have done.” Psalm 73:28 (NET)

“Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!” Psalm 95:2

Have you ever loved something so much that you annoy the folks around you because you won’t stop talking about it? While this is so true of new budding relationships, I’m really talking about materialistic things. You know, things like a new pair of sandals, your favorite chocolate milk that you can’t get enough of and well, I think you’re getting the idea.

Needless to say, I think I wear my friends out with my obsessiveness.

Let’s have a little fun, shall we?

I’ll share a list of my recent favorite things, and you share some of yours.

Boom.

After all, it is summer, and for those of us who don’t get a summer break, we all need little things to keep ourselves happy and entertained. Grin.

1) BIC Velocity Pen

Y’all. I do have an unusual love for pens. But I’m beginning to think it’s actually not that unusual.  It’s just that not everyone admits their love for such small, random and possibly nerdy things. But I needed a new batch of pens, because I don’t know about you, but my pens tend to wander. It’s hopeless to try and retrieve them all, so new ones it was. I surveyed the thousands on Staples.com and landed on the BIC Velocity Pen. When I say it took all the self-control in me to not just doodle all day yesterday, I’m not even lying. In fact, I did do a little doodling. So, if you’re looking for a good, inexpensive pen, BIC is your friend.

2) HEB Almond Chocolate Milk

If you do not live in Texas, I realize you have no idea what HEB is, but it is simply a local grocery store. In fact, HEB owns Central Market, which is another Texas gift. I guess we could say that HEB is the generic brand of Central Market. If we were ranking grocery stores (because we never do that) I would place HEB in third place, right behind Whole Foods and Central Market. In fact, it carries many of the Central Market items and that is a beautiful thing. Side Fact: Whole Foods originated in Austin, while the Central Market division originated in San Antonio. It’s ALL a Texas thing. And now I’m laughing because you could care less about all of this grocery store trivia. It’s hard being humble when you’re from Texas. Needless to say, HEB Almond Chocolate Milk takes first prize. I can’t vouch for any other brands since I’ve not even attempted to try any others. But what a waste it would be if I bought a ½ gallon, only to strongly dislike it. I’ll stick to what I know. I’m so addicted I may have to have a glass every night before bed. And maybe every morning. But, hey! It’s better than a bowl of ice cream, right? It’s a little taste of love and joy in a cup.

3) L’oreal Telescopic Mascara

If your eyelashes mean nothing to you, then at this point you might be rolling your eyes at me. If so, feel free to move on. But the number one question I get asked is what kind of mascara I use. I happen to love me some mascara, so I’m delighted to share it with you. And selfishly, I’m not sure what I’ll do if they ever discontinue this particular tube.  So maybe my sharing will get more people to purchase it which might mean it will last forever and ever. But L’oreal Telescopic Mascara is where it’s at. For me, the mascara is all about the wand, and I happen to love the skinny wand it provides. Plus, you can purchase this mascara at virtually any grocery or drug store. Which thrills me to no end.

4) Essie Nail Polish

I think I’ve mentioned before that I am a nail polish freak. My nails and toenails are painted at all times, and as much as I love getting a manicure and pedicure, typically the painting is done by me as I’d rather not break the bank. In fact, for me it’s slightly cathartic. My favorite color right now happens to be watermelon. It’s the perfect pink summery color. But currently Essie has no lack of fun and summery colors.

5) Volcano Candle

As much as I love candles, I’m awful at remembering to light them. That is until the store Anthropologie introduced me to the Volcano candle. The aroma is both inviting and intoxicating. And oh, so addicting. This isn’t necessarily new to me, but rest assured, it will always be a favorite.

6) All Sons & Daughters Live CD

You know how sometimes a musical group sneaks up on you and surprises you with their gifts? That’s how All Sons & Daughters was to me. A few of their songs had been on our rotation at church, but it wasn’t until right before they released their new recorded live CD that I fell in love with them. It was love at first listen. If you’re looking for a new worship CD that is worth your money and one you’ll quite possibly fall in love with every song, look no further. Be blessed. Be ministered to.

7) Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

I’m nearly speechless when it comes to these babies. All I can say is it might be a little taste of heaven on earth. Every other peanut butter cup pales in comparison. They’re just THAT good.

And these, my friends, are just a few of my favorite things.

What are some of your favorite things recently? I love finding new favorite things!

Welcome, everybody! We are ecstatic that you are joining us for Bible study this summer! Please read the following instructions quickly but carefully then watch the video. On each of our summer Bible study posts, I’ll always write out the interactives just in case you can’t get the video to work. OK, Sisters! Here goes!

BEFORE LEAVING A COMMENT: PLEASE READ ALL WRITTEN INSTRUCTIONS AND WATCH THE VIDEO IF AT ALL POSSIBLE . ALL COMMENTS ARE MEANT TO BE IN RESPONSE TO TODAY’S INTERACTIVES. Your comment today is particularly important because it also serves as your registration for the summer experience.

UNLIKE PREVIOUS YEARS, WE ARE ASKING FOR EVERYONE PARTICIPATING TO LEAVE A COMMENT RATHER THAN THE GROUP LEADER LEAVING ONE ON BEHALF OF ALL. It tended to be too confusing. Your comment to each of the 4 blog posts this summer is your interaction with us here in our blog community.  (I know some of this seems redundant but we get lots of questions about these kinds of details so we’re just trying to make sure we’ve covered as much as possible.)

If you are in a SMALL GROUP: you will share your responses to all of the interactives with one another in your gathering. Then, when you come back to make your comment to this post, you will choose one of the questions to answer here. You can answer more if you desire but we are only “requiring” you to respond to one.

If you are GOING SOLO: please respond succinctly to each of the interactives. The whole community will in effect become your group and sharing your answers will be part of the activity and accountability. It will make the summer experience immensely richer for you.

ALL PARTICIPANTS identify yourselves in your comments to this post by: First Name, city, state, and country if not the USA and whether you are participating with a small group or going solo, then respond to your interactives. Here’s a sample comment for our summer Bible study to give you a paradigm:

Cheryl, Shreveport, LA/small group: #3 … (her response to the third question will be written here. Note that she is participating in a small group so, since she’s already answered each of the questions in her gathering, she only needs to respond to one here. If she’d gone solo, she’d answer all of them here.)

 1.    A fun one: What title to a popular song – from any decade you wish – best captures you right now? (It can be serious or ridiculous.)

 2.    Write one sentence describing something about your present season – your right-here-and-now – that makes it unique. Life changes constantly. What is distinct about this particular season?

 3.    In one sentence, what is one thing you wish your sisters in Christ would know about you sooner that often doesn’t come out in your relationships till later?  Complete this sentence: “I wish my sisters in Christ knew that I…”

 4.    *Optional: Make a one-sentence comment regarding anything in the video devotional that resonated with you.

OK, Sisters! Have Weeks One and Two of Gideon completed by our next gathering in two weeks on June 25th! We are so happy to have you here and to serve you. 

Summer Gideon Study 2013 from LPV on Vimeo.

A few nights ago I was in the middle of getting ready for bed when I decided I should turn on my little portable fan that sits on the floor and blows cold air on me all night. My entire reason for turning it on a little early, as opposed to right before I actually hopped in bed, is because in my quirky thinking I just knew that the 10 minutes extra it would blow would cool down my room to the perfect temperature. Listen, when you have two roommates, you all have to make sacrifices and compromise here and there. So while turning down the air conditioning would be my preference, I’ve decided it’s best not to freeze out my roommates.

Anyway, this is getting really long. And so far I’ve only discussed turning on my fan.

What I’m trying to get at is that when I turned the knob to “on” all it did was run its puny little motor and almost caught fire. By almost caught fire I mean it smelled a little like smoke so I freaked out, turned it off, and unplugged it right away.

Immediately following I announced to my roommates and to the world that my fan had just died. My faithful, portable fan of nine years that lulls me to sleep every night. Yes, I am co-dependent on my fan and not the least bit ashamed.

It may have died of old age and over-use, or all the dust in the motor, but I’m just going to believe its time was up.

Needless to say, I slept in silence with only a ceiling fan. Thankfully, I was so tired that I feel asleep pretty quick, but I did wake up nearly every hour both sweating profusely all the while wondering if the noises I was hearing was somebody trying to break into our apartment, or just normal, nightly noises.

My white-noise producing fan is my best friend.

I didn’t wait 24 hours before I marched myself to Target and stood in the “fan” aisle for nearly 30 minutes while researching every last portable fan. Eventually, I threw the “Vornado” in my basket, purchased it, and took it home for a test drive that evening. I have labeled it the Lexus of all fans. Listen, y’all. I have issues.

But if I know one thing to be true, I know that we here at LPM are serious about our sleep.

Although I am a big fan of sleep, I also tend to be a night owl and am one of those folks who can run on five or six hours of sleep, but it’s obvious I tend to be a snob about my sleeping situations.

I got so tickled about all this fan drama that I decided it would be fun to publicly display our quirky sleeping patterns. We know we all have them.

For instance, on top of the must-have oscillating buzz, I also have a ceiling fan that runs all night long, and I sleep with a total of three pillows, one for my head and two on either side of me. It’s so complicated, y’all. And we all know there are things I’m keeping to myself. You’re so welcome.

I know you know what’s coming next.

What are your MUST HAVES for a good night sleep? Do tell. I’m dying to know. If only to make myself feel so much better about my drama this week revolving around a little fan. Grin.

Oh, and happy Friday. May your weekend be full of sweet, uninterrupted sleep.

Friends! We’re back to the Monday grind! The Lord has given us some unusually cooler weather for the beginning of June, and we in Houston are so grateful. I loved, loved, loved stalking twitter this weekend to see all the LPL updates and tweets. I think we had a handful of “original” siestas that got to attend so it was really fun to hear from them. When I say original, I just mean they’ve been around since the very beginning. We clearly love every Siesta just the same and are so grateful for the way we get to interact, but it’s kind of fun to get to see people “grow up” virtually. You know what I mean? Anyway, twitter was so fun, but what is more fun is Rich’s recap video!

For all you Duluth girls, here it is!

Living Proof Live | Atlanta from LifeWay Women on Vimeo.

Also, and this will make you all so happy, tomorrow morning be looking for a post on all things summer Bible study! We’ll be one week out and will give you all the information you’ll need. We love y’all! Have a wonderful Monday!

Escaping the Slinky from LPV on Vimeo.

*Hey Ladies! Lindsee here, hopping on really quick to let you know we have given all of our tickets away. We love y’all and are praying for a fresh outpouring of the spirit over each of you this weekend. Happy Friday!

Good Thursday morning, Sisters! Has this week flown by for anyone else? Anyway, we actually have another post that you should be looking for later in the day. It may or may not involve your siesta mama and a little hello. She loves y’all too much to just leave you all hanging all week! Grin.

But, before we could post that, I wanted to make you well aware that we have 20 tickets to giveaway from our Siesta Scholarship Ticket Fund. If you’ve known about the Duluth LPL but just knew you didn’t have the finances right now to swing it, then this is your opportunity! As usual, if you would please please call the office and ask for Kimberly, she’ll get you all ready to go. You can call 281-257-3344 or call toll free at 888.700.1999. If you happen to call during the lunch hour, please leave a message and we’ll get back to you ASAP.

We love y’all so much. See you in just a bit! (Be looking for the new post around noon CST.)

Hey Y’all! We have left this blog to be silent for an entire week! Gasp!

Sometimes this blog is extremely busy, and other times, it’s eerily quiet. I know it’s past time to check-in when I start seeing comments wondering if all is okay here at LPM or with our Siesta Mama. Just know that when we say we think about you every single day, we mean it with every ounce of our being. It’s just that sometimes you have to live life instead of write about life, and both Beth and I were doing that last week. She had a much deserved and needed week off after taping for a solid week, and I got busy with a few other things at work, then had a few days off myself as some of my family from Colorado came in town. Plus, with the long Memorial Day weekend, I just wasn’t on my computer much at all. That’s just life.

Speaking of Memorial Day, I did enjoy a four day weekend after playing hooky (and by playing hooky I mean I asked for the day off) from work on Friday. A couple of my cousins who are now of college age came to Houston and on Friday we had a pool day and literally had the entire apartment pool to ourselves. It was heaven! My grandparents also tagged along, which is always a blessing, but at 85, they move at a different pace than they did 20 years ago. However, in my nearly 28 years of life, I don’t think I’ve spent one Memorial Day with my grandpa, who is a veteran. It was fun to get to be with him. He didn’t say very many words last night, but I know he had a lot to think about. I took him to a custard place near my parents house last night after dinner and he ordered a kids size vanilla with butterscotch. He told me he didn’t want to overdo it. Bless him. I got tickled but thought it was the cutest thing. He even paid for my custard. What a stellar date!

Anyway, after four days of sleeping in, playing, shopping and spending time with my family, today it was back to life, back to reality. So, that’s just a little bit about what’s been going on!

This coming weekend our dear Beth is back at it with Living Proof Live in Atlanta. Are any of you getting to attend?

We’ve been waiting to share with you that during the Greensboro LPL event, which also doubled as the 15 year celebration, LifeWay asked Rich, our amazing photographer, to create a memory book that both Beth and Travis could take home. For lack of a better term, it is stellar. (I’ve now used that word twice in this post. Overkill. But I’m keeping it. Word of the day anyone?) The book is so much more than a scrapbook! It is a representation of the past 15 years through pictures and Rich worked so hard to make it excellent. However, not only did he do that, he then went the extra mile and put it into vimeo format so we could share the book with you all. You might want to know that it’s about eight minutes long, but worth every bit of your time. So, if at any point this week you have a few minutes to spare, be blessed by this book!

Rich, thank you so much for your hard work!

15 Year Album from Rich Kalonick on Vimeo.

I think that’s all for now, but just wanted to say hi.

We love y’all and hope you have a fantastic Tuesday!

P.S. I was tempted to say terrific Tuesday simply because of the alliteration, but thought you all might make fun of me. But it’s fun nonetheless!

Recently I had dinner with a new friend. We discussed all things ministry, church, worship, and dating over some delicious margarita pizza. For a first time get together, we hit it off pretty easily. That’s a blessing in itself because you never know if your first time meeting up with someone is going to be painfully long and awkward, or easy and refreshing. I left feeling refreshed and grateful for the handful of new friends the Lord has blessed me with over the past year and a half.

Among our other topics of conversation, she asked me about mentoring young girls. Basically, she was curious what I had seen work and what hadn’t in my short time in ministry. While I love this question, and actually receive that exact question in my email inbox often, I liken it to parenting. (Since I’m a parent and all, you know.) I’m no expert whatsoever, but I’ve learned that there is no formula, and the experience is different for everyone. However, over the few short years I’ve had the privilege to mentor some young girls, there are a few things that have never fallen short. Because I’m always looking for ideas, and because I don’t mind sharing what I’ve seen be effective, I thought what better way to share than to post a blog.

I know for a fact many of you are doing the thing and have the same question!

I am curious, however, how many of you out there specifically work with high school girls? Whether it be by volunteering at your church or an organization, or those of you who might be on staff at a church serving in some type of girls ministry role. So, let’s consider this post a roll call, a little advice, and a place to give ideas. How does that sound? (Of course, these ideas can really be applied to any mentoring relationship.)

I’ll start by sharing what’s worked for me:

1) Be Real:

I don’t know if you know this, but you may think because of their young age that girls don’t pick up on if you’re faking it or not. But I’m telling you, they know. They pick up on it. They can smell a fake a mile away and they want nothing to do with it. So what does this mean? It means that although you might be their mentor and they the mentee, they want to know you! They want to know that you are not perfect. That you do not have it all together. That you sin. That you don’t always spend an hour in the word each morning. That you get mad and irritated with your family. That you have friend issues. That you are struggling to survive just like them. It means you speak these things to them. Obviously, there is wisdom and discretion in what you share and to what extent and how many details, but that doesn’t mean you can’t own up to your crud, too. It takes two to tango. Take that rare opportunity to learn from them as well!

2) Ask Questions: (Ask hard questions!)

How are you? That’s a very vague and empty question. A question anyone can hide behind. I have learned over the years that the more specific the question, the better and more effective. This actually took me a while to learn and ironically, one girl that I dearly love was always so annoyed when I asked this question that she would ask me what I meant and what did I really want to know? I’m so grateful for her honesty because it broadened my horizon of questions. Asking the hard questions is also vital, because who else is doing it? I think sometimes we don’t want to ask the hard questions because that can get messy, but discipleship is messy. To throw some conversations starters out there, here are some good questions:

– How is your relationship with your friends? Is there any drama or gossip that you need to set straight? (If you have or know a high school girl, I can almost promise you there will be drama of some sort.)
– How is your relationship with your parents? Siblings?
– How is school?
– How is your relationship with your boyfriend? Who’s holding you accountable? What are your boundaries?
– What Bible study are you doing right now?
– Are you harboring any sin? Struggling in secret in any way?

3) Never FORCE them to talk:

While you are there to mentor them, hold them accountable and be real with them, there is nothing worse than someone forcing you to talk. I promise you, over time, they’ll say what they need to say when the Lord gives them the grace to do it. Gently encourage them, for sure, but don’t ever make them feel threatened.

4) Create Safety:

Each girl needs to know that you are a safe person. They need to trust you. Trusting someone takes time, especially if you’re starting this relationship from scratch. This means they are free to tell you anything with zero judgment or condemnation, only grace and love. This goes hand in hand with sharing your life as well. The more you share, the less perfect you are to them, the greater the chances of them opening up to you.

5) Go through a book together:

Sometimes as a high school girl, an older mentor whether it be in college, just out of college or older, can be intimidating. Because of the intimidation, they’re less likely to speak up and just be themselves around you. The book you read together gives you an opportunity to approach certain conversations or topics that could otherwise be awkward or just plain hard. Your book can be your guide. Some great resources for you would be your youth pastor, LifeWay or even Christian Book Distributors.

6) Know what teenage girls struggle with:

This may seem like common sense, but we have to know what we’re dealing with here, what our target audience is. We have to be in the know. While you were once a teenager and have struggled with similar things, because of the rapid speed of technology and the effect it’s had on the way we do things, we need to understand their world. You can be certain a few sensitive areas include: identity, body issues, friendships, dating, family, faith, and all things dealing with relationships whether it be emotional, mental, or sexual. And while we’re at it, you can certainly add in communication these days. How in the world do they communicate besides instant messaging, texting, and any online chatting? It’s a big world out there.

7) Pray with them:

Don’t just pray for them, pray with them. Have you ever denied prayer? I know we all want it and need it, but unfortunately, something about praying out loud for someone on the spot scares us. However, although I sometimes felt awkward as a young girl, nothing meant more to me than the ladies that never let me leave their sight without praying for me. Not only does this teach them how to pray, how to love and what it looks like to be discipled, it also gives them a chance to receive that prayer and those blessings first hand and to hear what you are praying. There is power in prayer. There is power in praying out loud. And there is certainly power in praying with the girls.

8) Listen to them:

This may be the most redundant of all to you, but in all seriousness, the more you give them the time of day and listen to what may seem mundane to you, the more they’ll be willing to tell you. Listen, no one is going to open up to you until they know you care. And not just that you care about the hard, serious things, but that you care about the homework they loathe, and their favorite place to shop. The more you genuinely hear them out without cutting them off, the farther your relationship will go.

9) Do things with them:

One really great way to build a strong relationship is to just do everyday life with them. Go see a movie, take them grocery shopping with you, go shopping together, invite them over for dinner with your family, hang out at the pool, and so on and so forth. It doesn’t always have to be a formal one-on-one get together. In fact, it’s in the “mundane” that real life and real discipleship happens. This is also a really great way for them to see a peak into your real life.

It looks so easy on paper, but mentoring, discipling, however you want to label it is easier said than done. But we were called to make disciples, each and every one of us. I’d love to hear from you guys. Y’all are a wealth of wisdom! What are some things you’ve seen work for you?

Oh, and for a little encouragement, there is truly nothing like investing your time in a young girl, only to watch her go off to college and do the same to the younger girls around her. The Lord doesn’t always allow us to see the fruit of our labor, but when He does, it’s the sweetest, most rewarding gift ever. Your investment will be worth it, dear friend. Do not grow weary in doing good!