Bottoms Up!

PINK, MIAMI, BUM, NICE…these are just a few of the words I’ve seen splashed across the behinds of girls and women all across America. Yes, I said women. This is not just something teenage girls do, believe me, I’ve been in one too many shopping mall where I’ve had to walk behind someone’s behind and read it. Seriously now, even if you are happy with the way your bottom looks, leave the advertising to your t-shirt!

Modesty. This is the issue I’ve been addressing for the last little while so next on my list is the “No Bottom” rule. In essence, you shouldn’t wear anything too tight on your bottom, have any words on your bottom, or have any part of your bottom exposed.

No matter your size or shape, you should always want someone to look at all of you and not just certain parts of you. To do this, you should attempt to dress in styles that flatter your figure, not draw attention to parts of your figure.

Make sure your jeans and skirts aren’t too tight (more on jeans next week). Also, don’t wear your shorts so short if you bend over there is nothing left to the imagination. Not that we want anyone’s imagination to wander there anyway, but that’s sort of the point, isn’t it? Why are we dressing in too tight of clothes anyway? Usually, it’s to draw attention.

So, go clean out your closet of all those shorts, skirts and jeans that are too small for you.

Get rid of the skirts and dresses that are too short, too.

Remember, the guys are glaring. And the old men. Yuck.

Have a stylish day,
Shari

www.ShariBraendel.com

"Fighting for the Mockingbirds"

By: Marla Noorman, Age 16
She Speaks! Graduate

1 Timothy 4:12, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.” (NIV)

Reading one of my favorite books, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee recently reminded me of its very important message. The book presents the tragedy of lost innocence – the book’s title being a metaphor of this – and the necessity of fighting for the innocent. A major part of the plot follows a lawyer, Atticus Finch, as he defends an African-American man, Tom Robinson. Though it’s obvious that the charges of rape are false, the people of that time and location are unable to accept that a Caucasian girl would falsely accuse an African-American man. Finch knows the case is a lost cause, yet he continues fighting for Robinson’s rights, clinging to the last sliver of hope that he can help. Having once had a peaceful, happy life, Robinson now watches his world come crashing down. He is a dying mockingbird.

My world has come crashing down a couple of times in these last few years. The highs and lows so far apart that it seemed impossible to fall from the top all the way to the bottom, but that’s exactly what happened. One second life was perfect, and the next it was awful.

I’ve seen a lot in my sixteen years, but I think in this day and age we all have. It’s sad to watch our generation as it crumbles away from hope and faith. Everywhere I look I can see another Mockingbird dying, another innocent soul being brought out of its naivety by the cruelty of our sin stained world, much like Tom Robinson was. Where do you go when that happens? What do you do when life as you know it is changed forever?

Proverbs 18:14 “A healthy spirit conquers adversity, but what can you do when the spirit is crushed?” (The Message)

What do you do when things get hard? I’ve seen people my own age turning to alcohol, drugs, sex, self-mutilation, and even attempting suicide. These aren’t answers though, they are the giving up of a broken soul, and when you’re in a vulnerable stage of life they mask the symptoms without treating the problem. While these things may seem like a quick fix, they leave you in a worse place than you were before. The most awful thing I’ve seen though, more terrible than all these empty ways of trying to kill pain, is people turning heads and closing eyes. Much like the community surrounding Finch and Robinson ignored the obvious truth; we sometimes ignore the broken actions of the people around us. Innocence is lost; you can’t live as a mockingbird in this world anymore, and no matter how hard you try to shield your eyes from these terrible things, they’re still happening all the time. What are we supposed to do about it? How can someone sixteen years old help in these dangerous situations? How are we supposed to be an Atticus Finch for dying, innocent souls?

Hebrews 10:24-25, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (NIV)

Teenagers are more likely to talk to someone their own age than an adult, so we have to be the ones to help them. As a teenager we have to open our eyes to see the pain going on in other people’s lives. How do you do this? You just have to be there for them. Stay by their side no matter what, be a friend when everyone else leaves them, lift them up when they’re falling down, and most importantly, show them the everlasting love that God has for them. It’s not easy. Sometimes you won’t be able to help no matter how hard you try. In To Kill a Mockingbird Robinson ends up being convicted even after all Finch had done for him. Despite this, Finch refused to give up. We must do the same. No matter what is happening, we have to try our hardest to help. It can be hard not to be dragged down with them sometimes, but we are the children of God. We have been blessed with the knowledge of Christ’s love, and with that we can do anything.

If you are falling down right now, if you have hit the bottom of a bottomless pit, if you are lost in the darkest of nights, if you know nothing else, know this: there is hope. Jesus died for you. He cares about you more than you can conceive, and He will help you out of your brokenness; all you have to do is ask. Open you’re eyes to Christ’s light, and He will lead you out of the dark.

Worship Song:

Hungry (I'm Falling on My Knees), by Joy Williams

Hungry, I come to you,
For I know you satisfy.
I am empty, but I know
Your love does not run dry.
And so I wait for you,
So I wait for you.

I’m falling on my knees,
Offering all of me.
Jesus, you’re all this heart is living for.

Broken, I run to you,
For your arms are open wide.
I am weary, but I know
Your touch restores my life.
And so I wait for you,
So I wait for you.


My Prayer for Today:

Dear Lord, give me the strength to help others when they are falling down. Open my eyes to their problems and let me be a light in their darkness. Give me the right words to say and open their mind to Your message. Let me be a shining example of Your love and bring them to Your courts. Amen.

Think About It:

Do you trust God enough to stay secure in your faith when things get hard? What about when helping others out of their problems?

Are you keeping your eyes open to help other people with their problems, or have you been ignoring the hard things?

Are you using your age as an excuse or an opportunity?


Live It:

Who do you know someone that is giving up instead of going to God? Call them and offer your support.

Let your friends know that you’ll be there for them no matter what.

Begin a relationship with someone new that doesn’t have many friends who will stand behind them.

Power Verses:

Lamentations 3:19-24, “I’ll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness, the taste of ashes, the poison I’ve swallowed. I remember it all – oh, how well I remember – the feeling of hitting the bottom. But there’s one other thing I remember, and remembering, I keep a grip on hope: God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out, his merciful love couldn’t have dried up. They’re created new every morning. How great your faithfulness! I’m sticking with God (I say it over and over.) He’s all I’ve got left. (The Message)

Lamentations 3:28-30, “When life is heavy and hard to take, go off by yourself. Enter the silence. Bow in prayer. Don’t ask questions: Wait for hope to appear. Don’t run from trouble. Take it full-face. The ‘worst’ is never the worst.” (The Message)

Lamentations 3:55-58, “I called out your name, O God, called from the bottom of the pit. You listened when I called out, ‘Don’t shut your ears! Get me out of here! Save me!’ You came close when I called out. You said, ‘It’s going to be all right.’ You took my side, Master; you brought me back alive!” (The Message)

Psalm 71:1-3, “In you, O Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame. Rescue me and deliver me in your righteousness; turn your ear to me and save me. Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.” (NIV)

Joel 3:9-10, “Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare for war! Rouse the warriors! Let all the fighting men draw near and attack. Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weakling say, ‘I am strong!’” (NIV)

© 2007 by Marla Noorman. All rights reserved.

"Jesus Bling"

By: Wendy Pope,

Member of the Proverbs 31 Ministries Speaker Team

“When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD." Exodus 34:29 (NIV)

Being in style, wearing the “right clothes” was one way I thought I could be part of the “in” crowd. I saw the “in” crowd. I studied them. The “in” crowd was where I longed to be. But much to my dismay I never made it into the “in” crowd. But, what I thought was my dismay was really God’s demonstration of His sovereign hand on my life.

Though the pull to be part of the “in” crowd has lost its grip on my life over the years, my love for style has not changed. It is hard to know what to wear and what not to wear. I want to be stylish but I have deep desire to represent myself correctly as a woman of God. This can be challenging in today’s society because what is most popular typically doesn’t help us represent ourselves as women of God.

A few years ago Shari Braendel joined our team at Proverbs 31 Ministries. With her special gifts of grace, love, and humor, she begin to slowly teach us "what not to wear" by educating us on what looks good and what does not look good on us as individuals. She has taught me how to represent myself as a woman of God and still be in style.

After being around Shari, I have developed a love for "bling." “Bling” is a relatively new word that I have added to my vocabulary. I must say, I embrace the word with passion. Apparently my love for bling shows. Recently a friend gave me a bracelet she had made for me. I squealed with delight when I opened the box. As I showed my husband the bracelet he said, "You love your bling, don't you? But Jesus is your bling." I thought, “Yes, He is.”

The Lord took my thoughts straight to Moses. I thought of how bright the glow of his face must have been when He came down from Mount Sinai after meeting with the LORD. I pondered the question, "Does my face radiate Jesus? Do those who see me know that I have met with the Lord?"

How about you? Are you wearing the "Jesus bling?" When you walk the halls of your school do others see a difference in you - the Jesus difference? Ask God how you can shine brighter for Him today. The simple truth is this phrase I borrow from my friend Lysa, "Others will not want to know about your Jesus until they see the reality of Jesus in your life."

My Prayer for Today:

Dear Lord, Help me to gladly put on a garment of praise today. I want the desire of my heart to be making You famous. I desire to boldly and unashamedly proclaim Your glorious name in all that I say, think, and do. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Think About It:

Do I reflect the countenance of Christ?

What have others learned about Jesus by looking at me?

What is God whispering to my spirit now about the meaning of today's devotion?

Is the King my bling?

Live It:

Set your alarm clock 15 minutes before you normally get up. Spend that extra time for the next 21 days with the Lord before you go to school. When others ask about the change in you, tell them about Jesus.

Power Verses:

Psalm 40:4a, "Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man who makes the Lord his refuge and trust." (AMP)

Psalm 42:11, "Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God. (NASB)

Psalm 89:15, "How blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! O LORD, they walk in the light of Your countenance." (NASB)

© 2007 by Wendy Pope. All rights reserved.

"Give It Up"

By: Kristen Sigmon,
Next Generation Coordinator

Matthew 16:24-26, “Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?” (NASB)

Have you ever wanted something really badly and felt like if you could just get it, you would finally be happy? That’s how I was with wanting a boyfriend. I thought that if I could just have a boyfriend, then I could be happy and my life would be fulfilled.

Guess what? I got him. However, when I had him, I got so consumed with him that I thought I had to spend every waking hour with him. My whole life became wrapped up in him. Yeah, God was still in my life and my boyfriend and I even went to church together and prayed together. However, I put God on the back burner while I let my relationship with my boyfriend warm up and become my first priority.

Do you know what God does when we get so wrapped up in something that we lose sight of Him and allow that thing to have priority over Him? Let me tell you.

God acts. He will do whatever it takes to move that person or that thing out of first place in our lives. God is jealous. He does not want any competing loves. He wants to be first in our hearts now and always. Exodus 34:14 says, “Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God” (NIV). Yes, anything that comes before God is a “god” or an idol in our lives.

God wants to give us good things in life, but He doesn’t want those things to become more important that Him or take His place.

What is that thing (or person) for you that you strongly desire, that you have made your first priority, that you don’t think you could live without?

In today’s key verse, we read that whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Jesus’ sake will find it. In order to follow Jesus and to find true life, we must be willing to “lose” our lives for Him. This may mean literally losing our lives for Jesus’ sake, but it also may be understood metaphorically, as in my example. My boyfriend had become my life. Then, there was a point in our relationship when Jesus asked me, “Kristen, would you be willing to give up your boyfriend to follow Me? Who is more important to you – him or Me?”

The idea of giving up anything and everything to follow Jesus sounds absurd. After all, isn’t life about doing what makes us happy and having the things we want? That’s what our world tells us at least. Yet, being a follower of Jesus means doing absurd things, making radical choices, living a life that is very different from the rest of the world. It means being willing to do whatever He asks of us.

Think about your own life. What do you need to be willing to give up in order to follow Jesus? Maybe it is a boyfriend or someone you care about deeply. Maybe it is a sinful habit like cheating on tests or being dishonest with others to gain their approval. Maybe it is a sinful attitude, such as disrespecting your parents. It doesn’t have to be something bad; it can be something good too. You fill in the blank.

When faced with the challenge, which will you choose – living your life for yourself or for Jesus?

My Prayer for Today:

Dear Jesus, I want to live my life for You and not for myself. Show me the things I need to give up to follow You. My life is in Your hands. Thank You for loving me. Help me to love You more and follow You wholeheartedly. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Think About It:

What are the things that you hold onto in your life? What would you have a hard time giving up if Jesus called you to leave everything and follow Him?

Is He calling You now?

Are you willing to give up these things now in order to follow Jesus?

Live It:

Write down the things that you are holding onto. Journal about why each of these things is so important to you. Ask Jesus to show you why He is more important than these things and why you should find fulfillment in Him instead of everything else.

Power Verses:

Colossians 3:2-3, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” (NIV)

2 Timothy 2:11-13, “It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him; If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us; If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.” (NASB)

Matthew 6:33, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (NIV)

© 2007 by Kristen Sigmon. All rights reserved.

No Bellies Lookin' at Me!

When I was growing up it didn’t seem to matter so much about modesty. At least we didn’t address it…at all. I remember wearing short mid-driff tops and cute jeans. I even wore tube tops (okay, you girls probably don’t even know what those are!) with white jeans in the summer. I remember what lots of my wardrobe pieces looked like when I was 13 and 14 years old. That’s kind of strange because I cannot even tell you what I wore to most of my speaking engagements this year. I think it must be that when we are young, clothes mean everything! I mean, every outfit has to be “just so” or we just don’t feel good. I am so glad God allows me to write and speak about fashion because even though inner beauty is the most important aspect of beauty, He’s wired us girls to want to look nice so knowing how to dress and feeling good about ourselves is important.

So, what’s this thing about “no bellies” as part of the 5 B Modesty rule? Unfortunately, the clothes today have become so much about what body parts we show instead of how to look cute that it has to be addressed.

So here’s my rule about that. Stand up where you are right now. Really…stand up. Okay, now lift your arms in the air and go look in a mirror (your family is gonna think you look a little odd walking thru the house with your arms in the air!) Can you see your tummy? Is your tank too short? Now turn around. Bend over and see if your back is showing. Your belly and back should not be showing when you lift your arms in the air or when you bend over. If this happens, you’ll want to get a longer shirt, tuck yours in, or get a second tank to layer with.

Again, we’re trying not to get the guys out of focus when they look at us. And we don’t want a guy who likes us just cause we have skin showing. A guy should like you for YOU, not for your skin.

What do you think?

Love ya,

Shari

Click Here
(For Fashion Show Clips and Teen Event Info!)

www.sharibraendel.com

"Wisdom"

By: Joy Schmidt, Age 15

She Speaks! Graduate

Esther 2:15, “When it was Esther's turn to go to the king (Esther the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had adopted her as his daughter), she asked for nothing other than what Hegai, the king's eunuch in charge of the harem, had recommended. Esther, just as she was, won the admiration of everyone who saw her.” (The Message)

Imagine that you are an orphan girl living in ancient Susa, the capital of all Persia. Your parents died so long ago that your older cousin Mordecai feels like the only parent you have ever known. You trust him completely and want to grow up to be like him. People commonly tell you that you are beautiful, with your black curly hair and big brown eyes.

Playing in the streets of Susa as a little girl, you are like all of the other girls. You play the same games and eat the same food. The one thing that truly sets you apart from the others is still to come when you, Hadassah, will rise up and save your people, the Jews – the chosen people of Yahweh – from certain death. You, the little orphan girl, will become Queen Esther who will be remembered by all people during the feast of Purim.

Queen Esther has always been a personal hero of mine because of her many qualities: her courage, her beauty that is apparent from the inside out, her tactfulness, and her determined spirit, but lately I have also been thinking about her intelligence to the advice that she received and followed. Esther did not just obey what anyone told her, nor did she take guidance without thinking about it herself.

Esther’s prudent wisdom is something that everyone, especially teenagers, should seek to acquire. In our world there are so many things that try to tell us what to do - Hollywood, T.V., magazines, books. They are all cleverly persuading us to buy into worldly things. I am not saying that if you go to one movie or watch the show “24” that you are buying into worldly things. No, not at all, but like Esther we need to only follow the advice of trusted people. Esther 2:10 says, “Esther didn't say anything about her family and racial background because Mordecai had told her not to” (The Message). Mordecai, Esther’s trusted caretaker, and Hegai, the chamberlain, were two of the people that she trusted and took their advice.

Never take lightly what people tell you. Always make sure that you pray and think heavily about the advice people give you. Proverbs 19:20 says, “Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise” (NIV). Just like that little Jewish girl, follow the wise guidance of authority figures.

My Prayer for Today:

Dear Lord, Please help me to have wisdom and to take good advice from people. Just like Esther, I want you to use me, so please help me to listen to You and not listen to all that the world tells me. Teach me to distinguish what is your voice from what is false. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Think About It:

Whose advice do you trust?

To whom do you feel comfortable giving advice?

Where do you find advice to solve your problems?

Live It:

Write down all the advice you get in the next week. Then go back and see what happened with the advice you followed.

Think about the advice your parents told you when you were little. How do you use that advice today?

Power Verses:

Job 9:4, “His wisdom is profound, his power is vast. Who has resisted him and come out unscathed?” (NIV)

Psalm 51:6, “Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.” (NIV)

Proverbs 4:7, “Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.” (NIV)

© 2007 by Joy Schmidt. All rights reserved.