Life, Love and God - a place for teen girls to find answers.

Meet Jessie Minassian

I recently was introduced to the resource page of Jessie Minassian. She has a great site and a passion to help young girls safely travel through the pitfalls that can easily swallow them up during their teen years. I will let Jessie speak for herself, lifeloveandgod.com

Welcome to Life, Love and God—a place for teen girls to find answers!

Hi, I’m Jessie! I’m an author, speaker and the resident “big sis” right here at LifeLoveandGod.com, a Q&A website for teen girls. I’m passionate about helping girls embrace the God who loves them, and to help them apply His truth to their everyday lives. If we’re going to be friends, I guess I should tell you a little about myself, huh? Fair enough. Here are some of the top questions girls have asked me, and a few just for fun!  lifeloveandgod.com - meet-jessie

What really caught my attention was Jessie's new book called, Backwards Beauty. It is designed to help girls see the inner beauty they have been given by God and not to be concerned about "beauty" that comes from society or peer pressure or media, glamour magazines and the like. Here is the promo for the book and a link to more resources, videos, and other helpful books by Jessie Minassian.

Have you ever wondered why you want to feel pretty? Or why it’s so easy to compare, put yourself down or freak out over a number on a scale? Get answers to these questions and more in a completely illogical way: by learning 10 steps to feel your worst. Join me on a journey of becoming the confident, fun-loving girl you’ve always wanted to be!   lifeloveandgod.com/backwards-beauty

From a man's perspective there is nothing more attractive than a woman who lives for Jesus and has Jesus Christ living in her her heart. 
Blessings from DCO Peter

Discovering Your SHAPE for Ministry

Subtitle: Finding & Fulfilling Your Unique Purpose for Life

For the past six weeks I have been leading a small group of people through a study developed by Erik Rees titled SHAPE. The basic principle of the study is that God has prepared us for ministry and uses our experiences as a part of that developmental process. 

• The S stands for Spiritual gifts which we have been given or are given at various times in our lives to carry out the ministry to which we have been called.
• The H stands for our heart or passion that moves us to action.
• The A stands for the nature abilities we have been given that make us uniquely suited for specific ministry roles.
• The P stands for our personality traits that help us ministry to others in specific ways.
• The E stands for our life time experiences. Each experience prepares us for the next leg in the journey. The highlights and low points of our lives collectively are used to minister to others in specific and unique ways.

I remember reading the autobiography of Dr. Oswald Hoffman (former speaker on Lutheran Hour Ministry). He related that every step in his career of ministry prepared him for the next step or another ministry experience later in life. This study builds on a similar principle. God gives us tools to work with and then sharpens those tools through the experiences and interactions that we have with others. Each of us has a unique design and purpose in life but these are not static but dynamic. As we work with the gifts God has given to us He blesses us with more gifts and opportunities to serve others in His name.

Do you need to get in S.H.A.P.E.? Let Saddleback's Erik Reeshelp you discover your unique Spiritual gifts, Heart, Abilities,Personality, and Experiences! A companion follow-up to The Purpose-Driven Life, this empowering guide will show youhow to unlock your potential, find your spiritual goal, and explore God's plan for your life. Christianbook.com/finding-fulfilling-your-unique-purpose-life/erik-rees

Our class is coming to an end but the relationships and ministries are just starting to take root and grow. I recommend this resource for your use and pray that it is as much a blessing to you as it has been for us.

DCO Peter

Staying Connected to God's Word

My Favorite Choice for Daily Devotions

I have used several daily devotionals throughout my lifetime and in my ministry. Some are good, some are better, and some are my favorites. These are ones that speak to my heart, my struggles, my passions, and above all draw me into the Word of God. Often times it is easy for the devotion to take the place of reading God's Word, but the best devotions are written in such a way that I am compelled to go back to the Scriptural text and re-read it again with a new insight into the circumstances or emotional perspective of the author.

A few years ago I came across a series of devotions written by Charles R. Swindoll. (He is the pastor with the daily radio program called Insight for Living.) This particular series was based on a series of books that were compiled into a devotional collection called "Great Days with the Great Lives" (2005). At the time I was working in a challenging position and needed to see, hear, and read about God's provision for those whom He had called into His ministry service. This book became my best friend. I would read and re-read the devotions and then read and re-read the adjoining text for the day. God used this book to speak to me and to draw me into a deeper understanding of His Word. The book lived up to its sub-title. It gave me "daily insight" into the way God worked to carry out His mission in the lives of those whom He had called and it also gave me a sense of peace that God would work through me to fulfill the mission to which I had been called.

https://books.google.com/GreatDays-GreatLives   
Great Days with the Great Lives is a collection of biographies taken from the Great Lives from God's Word series. Each day provides a Scripture reference and devotional thought based on the experience of some of the greatest heroes of the Bible. These are men and women whose authentic walk with God will teach us, encourage us, and warn us.

I found a link to purchase the book on google books although it may also be available in other stores and locations and in ebook formats. (Chuck Swindoll has written several books and devotionals but I personally believe this is his best.) If you are interested you can google (chuck swindoll books) and find links to many other resources that will enrich your walk of faith through his ministry of Insight for Living.

I pray that you find these resources encouraging and that they will draw you into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.  DCO Peter