Ask Kelsey!

Hi, it’s Sherry, writing from my laptop. Do you have someone in your life you can ask for advice? You can bounce ideas off of your friends, but sometimes you need someone older and wiser that can help you. Older siblings and parents know you real well and can steer you in the right direction. But sometimes it’s fun to receive guidance from a neutral source.

In my girl’s book, there is an ‘Ask Kelsey’ section where girls can get advice about all things related to fashion and beauty, as well as godly wisdom. For example, here’s a question and answer taken directly from The Christian Girl’s Guide to Style:

Question: The other day, my mom told me to change my clothes. She didn’t like the way I was dressed. She said my skirt was too short and my T-shirt was too tight. I want to look like my friends. How am I going to have my own personal style if my mom won’t let me?

Answer: Do you really have your own personal style if you want to dress like your friends? Sometimes girls pressure each other into dressing alike to feel a part of the group. And sometimes friends want us to do things that we know our parents don’t agree with—like wearing short skirts and tight T-shirts. It’s best to sit down with your parents and talk about what is appropriate and what’s not. Your mom was a girl once and understands the pressures of fitting in. Maybe you can start a new trend: one that shows your unique style and your inward beauty.

Do you have a question for Kelsey? It can be about any topic—from beauty, and fashion, to friendship and faith. Feel free to ask it here in the comments section and I’ll make sure she answers you. 

Have a GREAT day!

Sherry

The Courage File

Hi, it's Marilyn! I've been writing for a long time, and though I love doing it, writing isn't always easy! Finding the time to write, finding the right words to put on paper (or the computer screen), making a story or a poem or an article say exactly what I want it to say, hearing other people's reactions to it, finding a magazine or a publisher who wants to print and sell it--these all make even what I love to do hard at times. They could be difficult enough or discouraging enough to make me stop writing, but I never have stopped. Because despite its many challenges, I'd be very unhappy if I couldn't write.

A few years ago I started doing something to keep me encouraged when I felt discouraged. It's what I call a "courage file." This is an actual file folder that's in a file drawer in my office. Whenever anyone says anything positive about what I've written, I put it in my courage file. I've printed off emails, copied pages of stories that people have written positive comments on, and jotted notes that people have said about something I'd written...and put them in my courage file.

Does it sound like I'm bragging about my writing? If you knew all the negative things I've received, read, and heard about what I've written, you wouldn't think so, because they are twenty times the amount of the positive things! Every once in a while, when I'm feeling discouraged, when I'm sad, or feel like giving up writing, I pull out my courage file and read a few things from it. That's usually enough to give me the strength and determination to keep going.

Do you know you already have a courage file, one that God created for you? It's the Bible! In that courage file are words of encouragement and love to help you keep going when you feel sad or feel like giving up.

Here are some of my favorite things from my courage file from God:

- For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
- For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. (Psalm 103:11-12)
-  For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)
- "My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?" (John 14:2)
- "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)
- The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it. (1 Thessalonians 5:24)

Whenever I read these, I feel very loved and valued by God. And they help me love him and worship him even more.

What would be in your courage file? Start one, and then let me know! And God bless you!

Good Friday

Aloha from Karen,

It’s so hard to have a pet die.
It’s even harder to have someone you love die. 

But it happens. It hurts even when we know there’s heaven. 

                      We are lonely and miss the one we loved.

 And tomorrow is the day we remember that Jesus died for us.

            His mother stood at the cross.

                        The disciple John stood at the cross.

                                    Others watched.

The soldiers just wanted his cloak.

One sinner on a cross reached out to ask Jesus to remember him and 

       the man received eternal life.

            The Pharisees, Sadduces, and other leaders wanted him gone.

It’s called Good Friday and we wonder why it can be called good when Jesus died

            It was good for us and all Christians.

                        For Jesus did not remain death. He rose.

                               He showed us believers
                                 will rise and go to heaven.

Sweetness of good news mixed with sorrow.

           

Make a cross to remember this day.

            Take two cinnamon sticks and tie them together
                 to form a cross.

            Use yarn to wrap around the sticks
                  like making a God’s eye.

                       Wrap a little way around and then tie the ends.

                                               

Push a safety pin or jewelry pin through the ribbon in the back
          and wear it as a pin.

               Or tie on another piece of yarn or ribbon
                    to form a necklace to wear.

                       

The cinnamon sticks smell sweet.

They remind us of the good that came
            because Jesus died.

The cross is a reminder that He died.

He rose, so Happy Easter!!

Sarah: Dealing with Jealousy

Sarah had a problem common to us today--jealousy.

Sarah gave up on God's promise to give her a baby and took matter into her own hands. She told Abraham to have a baby with her servant. Yet when Hagar became pregnant, Sarah was angry. Then she blamed Abraham for the problem.

Jealousy brings out the worst in most people. When a person has talents, possessions or popularity that another person wants, it can become ugly. This was true in Abraham and Sarah's day and is still true today. Just look around you.

Imagine that a less popular girl shows up at school in a really cute outfit. A few people will compliment her on it, but many will make rude comments about how it looks. Why? Because they don't think the less popular girl deserves that outfit. They should be the ones with those clothes.

Or imagine that one group of girls have been the cheerleaders for three years straight. Then a new girl tries out and bumps one of them from the squad. Uh oh. She'd better look out. She now has the position another person wanted and having what someone else wants leads to jealousy. The girl whose spot was taken will probably be watching for any little flaw in the new girl's performance. The friends will make the new cheerleader feel unwelcome.

There is no reasoning with jealousy. Whether you are jealous like Sarah, or the brunt of the jealousy like Hagar, life is difficult. The only cure for jealousy is to learn to be content with what you already have. Rather than playing the comparison game, be thankful for your own talents, abilities and possessions.

Do you have a problem with jealousy? Take the quiz below to find out.

1. You work hard for several weeks on an essay for a contest. You get third place. You:
a. Should have gotten first place. Your essay was better than the winning one.
b. Hope the winner doesn't enter next year so you have a better chance.
c. Are disappointed but plan to try again next year.

2. You've worked really hard on your balance beam routine but are still having problems. It seems so easy for the others girls. You:
a. Hope you do better than they do on the bars.
b. Work hard and ask the coach for tips.
c. Hope one of them falls off of the beam during the meet.

3. Your friend's dad is taking everyone to the amusement park and then out to eat for her birthday. You had cake and ice cream at home with your family for your birthday. You:
a. Hope your friend's birthday is a lot of fun. After all, you get to enjoy it too.
b. Wish your parent were as cool as her parents.
c. Think it's unfair that she gets everything she wants.

How did you do?

The correct answers are: 1-c, 2-b, 3-a

It's okay to want to improve. The desire to improve motives you to work harder. It's when you wish for something bad to happen to someone else or get caught up in the "it's not fair" game that it becomes a problem. Try not to compare yourself to others. That's when jealousy gets a grip. Be happy for their successes, and don't let them make you feel less important. You are an individual with your own talents and successes. Using what you have and what you own for God and others is the real key to being happy.

Kathy

What's Your Story?

Writers go to conferences to learn how to write better, make writer friends, and get closer to God. 

Hi, this is Sherry and I’m heading to the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference tomorrow for five whole days. I’ll miss my family like crazy, but I’m looking forward to learning all I can to make my stories shine.

Do you like to write? Have you ever written a story just for fun?

Idea: Look inside a clothing catalog and cut out characters for a story. Tape them inside a notebook and give each one a name, then let your imagination take flight!

Here are ten tips to writing a good story:

1. Develop interesting characters.

2. Create a plot, in other words, what happens in your story.

3. Decide on who’s going to tell the story, or the point of view (POV). First person uses the pronoun ‘I’ while third person uses ‘he’ and ‘she.’

4. Write a catchy first paragraph.

5. Sprinkle in meaningful dialogue.

6. Use action beats. Have your characters doing something to show who is speaking. For example: “I’m hot. I need a drink of water.” Emma wiped the sweat from her forehead.

7. Add setting and description so the reader knows where the characters are in the story.

8. Make sure you have conflict and tension. Something has to happen in your story that makes it difficult for your character, both an inward struggle and external forces.

9. Build the story to a climax. The turning point is the most exciting and dramatic part of the story, which causes your character to make a decision.

10. End with a bang. The last few lines of the story should leave readers satisfied and wanting more.

Jesus loved to tell stories. If you look through the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), you can find parables. A parable is a story that illustrates a lesson. In your Bible, find Luke 15: 11-32. Who are the characters? What do they say? Do they learn something?

It’s time for me to pack for my conference. I’m looking forward to growing my faith, meeting writer friends, learning more about the fundamentals of writing, and having some FUN!

Let me know if you write a story! 

Sherry

Happy Poetry Month!

Hi, this is Marilyn. Did you know that April is National Poetry Month? Have you been writing or reading poems this month? I hope so! If you'd like to join in, there are many kinds of poems you can write, and here are a few:

- Acrostic. With this type of poem, start by writing a word, such as your name, one letter on each line. For example, I would start like this:

M

A

R

I

L

Y

N

Then, use the the first letter on each line to begin the first word of that line of your poem. Here's my acrostic poem:

M y springtime memory:
A daffodil
R ising from the soil
I n my garden
L ively, lovely
Y ellow head
N odding in the April breeze

Try it, using different words and different themes for your acrostic poem!

- Cento. Traditionally, a cento poem is made of lines of poetry, each line taken from a different poet. For example, the first line might be from a poem by Robert Frost, the next from e. e. cummings, the third from Li Po, the fourth from Homer, and so on. But you can take tradition and mix it up by writing a cento poem with your friends. You start by writing the first line of the poem. Then a friend writes the second, another friend the third, and so on, until you have a completed poem. Try it!

- Haiku. This poem, which originated in Japan, often contains 17 syllables: 5 in the first line, 7 in the second line, and 5 in the third line. Haiku describe a moment in time or a detail in nature that might not otherwise be noticed--almost like taking a really fast photo of something very close up. For example, here's a haiku that I wrote last weekend when I went on a wild horse safari in Nevada:

Wind whistles through sage
Stallions gallop, stop to stare
Black hair blows like smoke

Okay, it's not great, but you can probably picture the vast open space of the harsh landscape, and then the band of stallions galloping freely across it. They stop when they see me watching, and only the hair of their manes and tails moves, blown by the wind.

Haiku can be longer than three lines, because you can write several related haiku. This month, I'm writing one haiku each day, and by the end of the month I'll have a "snapshot" of my month.

- Psalm. Did you know that a psalm is a song, a prayer, and a poem? There are basically five types of psalms: hymn (sacred song of praise), lament (describing suffering and longing), royal (acknowledging kingship), thanksgiving (gratitude), and wisdom (knowledge and discernment). The longest psalm in the Bible is Psalm 119, and the shortest is Psalm 117 (which is only two lines long!).

You can write a psalm! Start by praying for God to clear your mind and heart. Then let what you think and feel guide your writing. Your psalm will become a written prayer.

Have fun writing poetry, and God bless!

Easter is coming---and so is Holy Week

Aloha from Karen

 Easter is coming and that's exciting-Easter baskets, egg hunts, new clothes, and especially celebrating Jesus is Risen! But there's a whole week that many churches think about before Easster and you can make a bracelet as a Holy week reminder. Those are days when Jesus rode on a donkey and people cheered, Jesus celebrated Passover and gave us the gift of the Last Supper, and then the whole trial, crucifixion, death, burial, and waiting for Jesus to rise.

Gather colored beads or make your own beads. Simple cut colored paper into triangles (1 inch wide by 2 inches long) and roll the paper triangle around a toothpick, starting at the 1-inch wide end, and dab a little glue at the tip of the tiny end of the paper to glue it down. Slide out the toothpick (it leaves a hole in the bead for stringing it).

Choose the colors you want to use for the different events of the week Jesus died and string them to make a bracelet (or necklace). Here are suggestions:

Green and purple for the Triumphant parade. Green for palm branches and purple because he was their king and purple is the color of royalty

White or yellow for bread he blessed at the Last Supper

Pink for a kiss from Judas who betrayed him

Brown for a judge's gavel as a reminder of the trial

Orange for rooster feathers for Peter who denied Jesus 3 times before the rooster crowed

Grey for the crown of thorns they placed on his head

Brown for the cross that he hung on

Red for the blood Jesus shed and because he loves us

Black for inside of the dark tomb and for his death

White for Easter when Jesus rose!

You can use the beads to think about what happened and to share what happened. It's a way to wear and share about Jesus!

Changes

     Spring is coming, and with it comes changes. Some changes are good like flowers growing, warmer days, making new friends and finishing another school year. Some times changes are hard like when a friend moves away--or you move, a grandparents becomes ill or a pet dies.

     We have both good and bad changes in our life. Sarah was like that too.

     Abraham and Sarah, then called Abram and Sarai, lived in Ur of the Chaldeans along the Euphrates River in what is now southern Iraq. This was an important city in the ancient world.  Abraham was probably a very educated man, and Sarah most likely had all the luxuries of life.

     Abraham's father, Terah, decided to move the whole family from the thriving town of Ur to the land of Canaan-- a land very different from Ur. The family packed up and said goodbye to their home and all they knew. Then they set out. But for some reason, Terah stopped halfway to Canaan in the village of Haran in what is now southern Turkey, and the family remained there.

     Sarah's life took a dramatic turn when she left behind the art, culture and thriving businesses to follow her family. The Bible doesn't say much about this move, but we can guess that it was hard for Sarah to leave her life in Ur to become a traveler and then reside in Haran. Yet she accepted it, and the family stayed there until Terah's death.

      Once again Sarah had to pack up and leave all she knew to follow God's leading. The family journeyed another 600 miles into the area that is now modern Israel. Abraham and Sarah had faith in God and they obeyed him. In turn, God poured out his blessings on Abraham's family in generations to come.

    Changes aren't always easy. Eve had to leave the beautiful Garden of Eden, Mrs. Noah had to leave everything behind knowing it would all be destroyed, and Sarah had to leave behind a bustling city for Nowhere Ville. Yet the Bible doesn't mention them complaining about the changes. How do you handle changes? Read each sentence below and choose a, b or c to complete it.
If my dad were to announce a  move I would be:   

A excited                          
B upset              
C anxious

Starting a new school:                                      

A  is a chance to try new things. 
B  means leaving friends and activities behind.     
C might be okay

I like:
A new experiences          
B things to stay the same  
C some changes in my life

Did you mark A's, B's or C's? If you marked:

A's  You welcome change. Moving to a new home or starting a new school is a chance to try new activities and make more friends. Chances are, you aren't a bit shy. It's easy for you to adapt to change.

B's You like things to stay the same. You may be shy and find it hard to adapt to change or you may just like your life as is and don't welcome any changes right now.

C's You are cautious about change. You welcome changes you can control, but you need time to get used to the idea of a new place or new routine. Once you've settled in, you are okay.

     There may be changes in your life you don't have control over. Try to face them with a positive spirit like Mrs. Noah and Sarah. Trust that God is in control even when you don't see him at work.