Three Perfect Gifts for Your Parents (a guide for teens)

Sometimes it’s easy to forget parents are human. They mess up and hope you don’t see. They act up and hope you’ll forgive them (even if they shrink back from asking forgiveness). They get tired and cranky, know it, and feel bad about it.

Here are three perfect gifts you can give them during this time.

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1. Understanding. If you see one of your parents messing up tell him/her that you’re not perfect either but you appreciate what they do, and how they try.
2. Grace. Wait until the difficult moment passes and later offer a hug. Tell your parent that it must be hard having his/her role.
3. An offering. When you see that your parent is tired offer to do a small chore, make a cup of tea or suggest you watch his/her favorite movie together. It’s amazing how those little things can brighten
someone’s day!

Seeking the God who Proves to be Good

Read the following excerpt from the book I co-wrote with Robin Jones Gunn (pictured below goofing off with me) called Praying for Your Future Husband: Preparing Your Heart for His, and see if you know anyone like this:

“All it took was that one kiss after the archery lesson, and I readily agreed to be Steven’s girlfriend. We spent a lot of time together. We hiked in the hills behind our houses. We swung on the swings at the park. At night I would sneak out of my house to go to his. He would sneak out too, and we would sit on the grass in the warm summer night and watch the moon. And we always kissed.

When Steven wanted to go further than kissing, it only made sense. That’s how things worked, right? I thought about the movies I had watched. The characters in them fell in love just like me, and then they slept together. Deep down I knew it wasn’t right, but I didn’t want to lose him. I didn’t want him to find another girlfriend. I was sure if I gave Steven everything he wanted, we would stay together forever. Since I was so sure that I loved him and he loved me, I willingly gave myself to him.

But before the summer was over, Steven gave me some awful news. ‘My family is moving away.’”

Lamentations 3:25-29 in The Message says, “God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits, to the woman who diligently seeks. It’s a good thing to quietly hope, quietly hope for help from God. It’s a good thing when you’re young to stick it out through the hard times. 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.”

If you know a young woman who is pursuing a Steven in her life, take the time to write out Lamentations 3:25-29 for her. Take her out for coffee, give her the verse, and pray with her. Make her feel cherished and loved, not only by you, but by the One who created her.

I was the woman in Lamentations who diligently sought, but I sought the wrong thing. I was seeking after was a worldly, impatient love. I wasn’t seeking the never-ending, no-strings-attached love from my heavenly Father. But God proved to be good to me even though I didn’t deserve it. And He is continuing to prove Himself good to me every day.

Encourage the young woman to pursue the only One who continually proves Himself good. Let her know that He can turn those who are diligently seeking what is wrong (as I once was) into young women who diligently seek His good and perfect will.

Me & My Invisible Guy has arrived!!! And YOU could win a copy!!

It doesn't release until February 5th but I got a gorgeous box of these hardcover books in the mail this week - and guess what? I'd love to give a couple away to our faithful readers here at Girls, God & the Good Life!!!

About the story:

The cheerleader who has everything . . . ? Mallory Dane has a great family (at least on the surface), is popular at school (as long as she doesn’t make waves), and dates an amazing boyfriend, Todd (who happens to be completely made up). Boys—and sex—are something Mallory just can’t deal with, so she created her “invisible guy” to avoid it all. But when Liam Crawford comes along—a real guy, flesh and bones and strumming his guitar—Mallory starts questioning her fictional relationship. Is she really willing to give up Todd for Liam? And can she make amends for the lies she’s told—even to her best friend, Tess? What if your biggest, most embarrassing secret was broadcast to the whole world? Letting go of her secret will be easier said than done, and Mallory will risk everything—her family, Tess, cheerleading, her reputation, and most of all, her heart.

You can pre-order the hardcover or kindle here (and it would help me out if you're interested!)


Want to throw in your hat to try and win a copy? Just comment on this post by February 5! Make sure you include your e-mail address so I can get in touch with you!

~Sarah~

www.sarahjeffrey.com

How to Adopt Amish Principles . . . as a Teen

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Living in Montana for fifteen years I enjoyed being out of the flow of busy life. Montana is a destination. It's not someplace people "drive through" or "stop by." Life has a slower pace, too. Maybe because there is snow on the ground 6 months of the year. Maybe because the views of the meadows, mountains and lakes make you remember what's really important in life—God, family, nature—and not the to-do list.

Imagine my surprise when I traveled up to the West Kootenai area and discovered a slower pace still. My daughter Leslie and I had lunch in the West Kootenai Kraft and Grocery and noticed neighbors running into each other and sitting down for an impromptu lunch—Amish and Englisch alike. There were little boys driving four-wheelers and a few girls riding horseback down the country lanes. Another teen boy was mowing the field behind the grocery but his attention seemed to be drawn to the sky and the mountains on the horizon as much as the weeds he was trying to whack down. People in the store chatted about their gardens and yesterday's rain. I thought my life had been slow-paced in Kalispell, but being in the mountains of West Kootenai I felt like I'd taken my first deep breath.

Since writing Beside Still Waters I've moved to Little Rock, Arkansas. Things are busier here. There are more cars, more traffic, more things to do and see. The challenge for me has been not to get caught up in the flow. To remember that just because people around me have full schedules doesn't mean I have to do the same. It's something I'm still trying to figure out.

Yet being in the West Kootenai has taught me a few lessons I've tried to incorporate, and you can, too.

1. If you run into a friend, whether you're at school or at the grocery store, try to chat for even five minutes. Ask about that person's day. Ask how they really are.

2. Take a few minutes to enjoy nature. Yes, that means putting down the phone for a few seconds. Really stop and look at those beautiful vegetables you are bagging up at the grocery store. Pause to appreciate a flower bed at the park or even in front of your favorite store.

3. Take a big breath and sit back and enjoy lunch on a weekend with someone you care about. You don't need to be on vacation or spring break to make time for a friend.

4. Finally, appreciate God's handiwork in your area. He's created each place with joys of their own. Don't forget to thank Him for that today.

This Weekend, Watch a Movie

I know what you're thinking: Classic movies are boring. They're old. They're not relevant. But let me just tell you that I loved these movies as a kid, and as my kids grew older and I showed them these movies, they came to love them, too. So, since this is the weekend, grab your friends and host a classic movie weekend. You might just be surprised at "new" favorites you'll find!

Tricia's Top Picks:

Newsies—My 20-year-old daughter and I love watching it together. The music and dancing is great!

Source: google.com via Tricia on Pinterest

The Sound of Music—I didn't watch this until I was an adult, and now I watch it a few times a year. I've been to Austria and know members of the von Trapp family, so that makes it extra special to me.

Source: imdb.com via Tricia on Pinterest

The Parent Trap—This was my favorite movie growing up. I didn't know my biological father ,so I always dreamed I had a sister out there somewhere. Come to find out I had four sisters!

Beauty and the Beast—This was the first movie I took my son Cory to. He sat through the whole movie, eyes wide.

Annie (1982 version)—I love the music, and I love the story. Carol Burnett cracks me up.

The Princess Bride—This is a family favorite. If you are around the Goyers for any length of time, you'll hear us quoting it!

The Sandlot—This was Cory and Nathan's favorite movie when they were small. Along with The Land Before Time, I can sit there and quote the whole movie!

It's a Wonderful Life—This is my favorite Christmas movie. I'd always begged my kids to watch it with me. They were turned off by it being black and white, but when they finally watched it, they loved it, too!

Below is a list of movies for teens. Make sure you check out reviews first.

The List:

2,000 Leagues Under the Sea

3 Ninjas

Alice in Wonderland

All I Want For Christmas

Angels in the Outfield

Anne of Green Gables

Annie

Annie Get Your Gun

Back to the Future

Beauty and the Beast (Disney)

Bedknobs and Broomsticks

Benji

Big Red

Bob Hope Movies

Calamity Jane

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Charlotte's Web

Cheaper by the Dozen

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Cinderella 

Corina Corina

Crocodile Dundee

Denise the Menace

Dudley DoRight

E.T.

Free Willy

Incredible Journey

Into the West

It's a Wonderful Life

Goonies

Heidi

Herbie the Love Bug (old versions)

Home Alone

Homeward Bound

Hook

Iron Will

Journey to the Center of the Earth

Karate Kid

Little Women

Mary Poppins

Matilda

My Fair Lady

My Girl

Newsies

No Deposit, No Return

Not Quite Human

October Sky

Oklahoma 

Old Yeller

Oliver

Pete's Dragon

Pippi Longstockins

Pollyanna

Richie Rich

Rocketeer

Sabrina (older version)

Secondhand Lions

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

Shirley Temple

Short Circuit

Singing in the Rain

Sound of Music

The Apple Dumpling Gang

The Labyrinth

The Man from Snowy River

The Mouse on the Motorcycle

The Mountain Family Robinson

The Never-Ending Story

The Court Jester

The Princess Bride

The Sandlot

The Scarlet Pimpernel (with Leslie Howard)

The Secret Garden

The Swan Princess

The Swiss Family Robinson

The Music Man

The Little Toaster

The Three Musketeers

The Treasure Seekers

The Wizard of Oz

Where the Red Fern Grows

White Fang

Yours, Mine and Ours

Enjoy! And also let me know of any that I missed!

A Free Book! My Valentine's Gift for you!

Yep! It's my Valentine's Day gift to you:

Totally Unfamous is totally free!

But it's for today only so scoot on over there and download it!

Download it here.

Don't have a Kindle? That's okay - there are Kindle reading apps for everything!

There are Walmart deals that can get you a Kindle or gift cards at low prices.