Blog # 15 Happy New Year!
January 2022 – the New Year has begun!  I have always been drawn towards “new beginnings”; I find pleasure in saying “It’s March!” or “It’s August!” at the beginning of any new month or year. It reminds me of Hope, of looking forward not backward. One of my favorite quotes is: “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.” The past is gone and you, each of us, has the opportunity to make new choices and have new plans; this in itself is exciting. What will you choose for your new year? What will you choose for your new day? As a counselor, in my former job, it was a delicate, and sometimes difficult, balance to have a client share about their past and struggles they have faced, but also to talk about the present and their future. Many times we carry a shadow from our past and let that continue to affect us. Satan wants to remind of us times we have failed or others have failed us; this keeps us “bogged down” and slows down our energy and our positive thinking. God says “I know the plans I have for you, plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11  He wants us to “press on towards  the goal, forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead”, as Paul tells us in Philippians 3.
Spending time reflecting is a good thing, however, remember the need to move past the reflecting; confessing sins when needed, and then embrace the forgiveness God gives us and accept His hope. No matter what state you are in, there is hope because we have the one true God that loves us and desires to give us an abundant life.  This doesn’t mean every moment will bring us happiness, but our trust in Him will bring us through even our darkest hours. Take stock of where you are emotionally and spiritually, look forward to where you want to be and plan steps to get there, being open to God’s leading. The little steps of our lives do matter and do add up; He will lead us to paths of righteousness. Remain faithful and confident that God is beside you and indeed He is in you, seek Him as Matthew 6:33 tells us: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow.”
So here’s to 2022! May God richly bless you as you walk with Him each new day and month!
Blessings,
Jeri

​Students face a lot of unknowns when they begin a new school year;  the “back-to-school” phrase itself can bring a lot of emotions and thoughts to a student. What will the year look like? What will even the first day look like? Will I have lunch with my friends? Will my former enemy or the bully be in my class? Will I have to see my ex-boyfriend? Will my favorite teacher remember me? Will I have a good seat in class or on the bus? Will I be able to text during the day? Will I know how to get to all my classes? Will my clothes help me fit in? These questions and many more circulate through their minds as they play out different scenarios. Can they be prepared for all of the situations they may be faced with? I believe we can help them by concentrating on a few basic principles.

1. Acceptance – each student needs to know they are accepted. As a youth leader or parent our part is to make sure they feel secure in our love for them. And there is an even greater and deeper love which is the love of God; remind them often of His love which includes acceptance for them. Explain unconditional love so that they know there is nothing they can do to lessen His love. Share scriptures that ensure them of this love, and also Romans 8:35-39 that tells us that NOTHING CAN SEPARATE us from His love. Loving ourselves is also important as we seek to love others. Galatians 5:14 “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
2. Perspective – each student has a different set of filters that affect the way they look at the world and the circumstances they are faced with. Being reminded of how perception can cloud their view or misconstrue their view is important. For example, someone could feel mistreated when actually it was a misunderstanding; someone could be expressing a dislike and someone else magnify the dislike and become defensive or go off on a tangent, leading the student to be afraid to express their opinion. Perspective also brings into play negative and positive thoughts as they judge one another or refuse to give others a chance, including their teachers, because someone else had an unpleasant experience. Remind students to give each other a break and allow for a bad day or a misinterpretation, rather than believing all is negative.
3. Generalizing – each student is wired to seek out those with whom they have things in common. If someone else has the same clothes, or has the same interest, then they feel a bond with them. We can often group people together who appear to be alike, without even getting to know them; this may be by appearances, including race, gender, height, weight, color of hair, etc. It may also be by which classes they are taking, who they are sitting with, which bus they ride of if they drive their own car. Remind them that there may be different reasons for each of these things, and that most of their physical appearance was not something they chose on their own. Each person is unique and multi-faceted, meaning they cannot just fit into one category.
4. Character – each student can choose what kind of character they will present. Friendly not Flirty, Welcoming not Bullying, Attentive not Disruptive, Serving not Manipulating, Honesty not cheating. Talk to your student(s) about what it is to be a Christian “little Christ”, and as II Corinthians 5:20 tells us, “We are ambassadors for Christ.” Earlier in II Corinthians, chapter 5, we are challenged to “make it our aim to be pleasing to Him (God)”.  Galatians 5:20 lists what is pleasing; the fruit of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness faith, gentleness and self-control”.

Whether we are a teacher, leader, parent or student, we can all be reminded of these basic thoughts on striving to have good relationships with others and to handle the trials that come to us on any given day. Realizing that we need help, we pray and ask God to guide us, strengthen us and let His love flow through us. He wants to work in our lives, but lets us make that choice to allow Him to be in control. What choice will you, and I, make today? Psalm 51: “You desire integrity in the inner self, and You teach me wisdom deep within.”
Blessings, Jeri

Trust in the Word not the World - God has given us His word to live by. This is our Playbook. This is our instruction manual: The Holy Bible.
The world says it is all about you. The world says grab all the gusto you can. The world says Just do it.
The WORD says: “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” I John 2:15 The things of the world that we are not to love are beliefs, habits and ideas that do not give glory to God. Some of those identified are greed, pride, envying, sexual sin, and not loving others. We can see more from the following verse: “For all that is in the world – the desires of the eyes and pride of life-is not from the Father but is from the world.” I John 2:16.
For those who are not desiring to follow God, their perspective of success is different. Success is seen in how powerful you are, mostly in relation to how much money you have. Most parents instill in their children the need to strive to be at the best college, in order to get the best degree to have the most money and “secure future”. The WORD tells us (Colossians 3:1-3) “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” And later in this chapter, “Let the WORD of Christ dwell in you richly.”
“The world is passing away but the one whoever does the will of God lives forever.” “When people neglect God and look for other things it is in the wrong direction; they find their hearts spiritually empty. Strengthen your personal lives. The best response to temptation is to pray and fill our hearts with God’s WORD.”  In Search of the Lord’s way, searchtv.org July 18, 2021.
Romans 12:2 tells us: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” II Corinthians 4:4 “In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” Colossians 3:1-3 “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” And later in this chapter, “Let the WORD of Christ dwell in you richly.”
We are also told to love those who are in the world, “ Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God because God is love.” I John 4:7-8. And the most familiar verse, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” These verses may seem the opposite of the previous verses on not loving the world, but the difference is in the focus. To “not love the world” means the things of this world that draw our hearts and minds away from the things of God. To “love the world” is meaning the people in the world. We are told many times to love people and God shows us that He loves all people.
Phil 2:3-4 “Do nothing from selfishness and conceit but in humility regard others more important than ourselves.” We are to have the mind of Christ. He humbled himself to become obedient, even death on the cross. Psalm 119:1-2 “Blessed are those who walk in the way of God, who keep His decrees and seek Him with all their heart.”
​Psalm 119:9 asks “How can a young man be pure? By keeping your WORD.” Each day we choose whether we are trying to please ourselves or please God.  Psalm 119:19 tells us “I am a resident alien on earth” and in I Peter 2:11 “Dear friends, I urge you as foreigners and strangers in this world, I beg you to avoid the evil things your bodies want to do that fight against your soul.” We are to live as temporary residents of this earth, because our home, our resting place, will be in heaven. Strive for an eternal perspective which will help us deal with the troubles of this world. JESUS gives us challenge and encouragement in John 16:33: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Let us remember these words, from our Redeemer,  Jesus who lives in us. We can be an overcomer: “Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. “
Blessings,
Jeri

​This is Father’s Day weekend – a time that many will praise their earthly fathers, others will be grieving their loss, and some will be unable to find the right Father’s Day card. My thoughts and prayers go with those who grieve over not having their beloved father and those who never had a loving father. My personal story falls in the latter group; I had quite a lot of trouble trying to find a card to say “Happy Father’s Day” without saying how “You were always there for me”, or how ”You taught me so much”. You see my father was not a fan of showing love or saying “I love you”, and he walked out on my family when I was 13 years old. My mother became a single parent and spent the rest of her parenting life trying to keep my older sister, younger brother and I on the right path. My father moved out of town for work and we saw him about once a year; in later years we did reestablish a relationship and made some good memories before he passed away two years ago. Beforehand he had written his children and grandchildren a letter, sharing his advice in how to be a good person and get along in this world. Although his words were full of good truths, as I read them it was difficult because he had not modeled his advice for his own family. On the other hand, there is someone in my life who has been a good role model as a father, and that is my husband; he has the most integrity and consistency of any man I know. My children are blessed to call him Father and I am blessed to have over 40 years with him as my husband. He has been the rock in our family for our four children.
We aren’t a perfect family but we have tried to live with our focus on following the will of our heavenly Father.  He alone is perfect and He has the best plan for our lives. We can trust God no matter what our circumstances are because His character is never changing, always caring, always loves, protects and forgives. The song, “Good, Good Father” is about God’s character, “You are perfect in all of Your ways, it’s who You are, who You are.” Being able to trust in His character allows us to have a sweet and peaceful rest. No matter what we do or think, He continues to give His full love to each of us.
These truths are important to pass on to our children and the children we have the privilege and responsibility to work with. Remind them often of His love for them and that although we can’t always figure out how the messes in our lives will contribute positively to our journey, we can know that “when I can’t trust Your hand, I can trust Your heart”, as another song says. Our students can rely on our heavenly Father even if their earthly father is absent in their lives. They may need to process many negative feelings about their own father, and our role is to help them when needed. We can always point them to God’s character and the truth that He will never forsake them. Acknowledge their grief, and their struggles, yet encourage them with scriptures and your experience in putting your trust in the Father that does not abandon, is always ready to listen, and consistently has their back. II Corinthians 12:9 says:  “My grace is sufficient for you for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” We can also use many scriptures in the Psalms to encourage children of all ages, such as Psalm 91: “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
Blessings,
Jeri

​Graduation – what does Graduation mean? Finishing one journey and beginning another. This week thousands of high school students graduated from their various schools; each one has a unique life. Each represents many experiences, yet the day they graduate they are united as the Class of 2021; they deserve our recognition and our congratulations. Suppose each of us, as these high school graduates are doing, look back at our past 4 years – what can we celebrate, what would we like to forget, what do we want to be remembered for? And as we look ahead for the next 4 years, what do we want to accomplish, where do we want to be, what kind of person do we want to personify?  When we think about a legacy, we sometimes think only about the one we leave when we die, however we leave a legacy wherever we go, as these students have left in the halls of high school.
 Each of us makes many choices every day including what we do with our free time, the type of music we listen to, what we read, the people we choose to communicate with, the words we use and the people we hug. As students get closer to adulthood there is an increased amount of choices they can make: where they live, what job they choose, pursuit of continuing education, who they spend  time with and what kind of character they want to have. One of the best quotes I have ever heard is: “It’s never too late to start doing right.” Another familiar quote is “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.” These two quotes recognize the fact that today is most important; yesterday is gone and whatever happened in the past can affect our present but doesn’t have to control our future. Be thankful God has given you another day and ask Him to lead you; then after you ask, listen for His direction, then follow through for He has the best plan for you. As Jeremiah 29:11 says “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
May we all have the excitement of these seniors, the hope for the future, the zeal to work for what we believe in, as if “we can change the world”; recognizing the change the world needs is to follow Jesus.  Let us keep on learning, to “get wisdom”, as instructed in the book of Proverbs. Let us “study to show ourselves approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth”, as directed in II Timothy 2:15. Learning is a lifelong goal even though we may change our way of learning, our place of learning and our learning focus.
Rejoice with these graduates, reflect on their journey and your own, and refocus where you need to as you make this day, and your legacy, one that honors the Lord.
Blessings,
Jeri
 

Giving youth a chance to get away from “the world” and go to Summer Camp or a Retreat, is worth every penny and every effort. Any age can benefit from changing up the routine and taking a break, or a “Retreat”. One definition (from Wikipidea) is “a definite time away from one’s normal life for the purpose of reconnecting with God.” Jesus gave us an example when He was in the desert for forty days, according to the biblical accounts in Matthew and Luke. The main difference in our typical Youth Retreat and Youth Camp is the length of time; retreats are usually for a weekend and Camp is a week. We have found that the longer the “retreat”, the more that Youth are able to disconnect from distractions and able to focus on God. Even those students who are reluctant at first to attend, find themselves asking for a longer time at Camp. As we are approaching summer and signups for Camp are upon us, I wanted to encourage EVERYONE to encourage every Middle & High School student to attend Camp.
An added bonus of Camp is when a group attends together. As a Coach of a team will plan intense time together to learn skills, and to bond together as a team, a Youth Group attending Camp together is important. They are, as any other team, intentionally focusing on areas needed to improve the overall outcome. Christian youth are a team, and those in youth group together can learn how to encourage each other so that when they return to “normal” schedule, they have this strong bond with one another. When a group has intentional time with each other and interacts over an extended time, they have experiences which bonds them. When these activities are spiritually focused, the bond is even stronger.
The lasting effects include more confidence, caring and comradeship. Teens have a strong desire to feel they are a part of something; they need a positive influence group. This group identity helps them realize their potential and a personal relationship with Jesus solidifies their identity, as well as finding security in knowing purpose in their life. All teens want to know their purpose in life and when they know this, it gives them the reason to make good choices. They can also treat others with respect because they respect themselves. Focusing on their spiritual condition grounds them in something bigger than themselves and being with a group of people they know continues to encourage them. They can feel secure and know they are not the only ones pursuing and growing in spiritual matters; and anytime we increase our focus in an area, it compounds the meaning.
Although the Youth Camp experience is a huge commitment, you can be assured it comes with many BLESSINGS that are not only for the days they attend but for a long time afterward. The memories and experiences bonds them with others and deepens their relationship with Jesus. This works together to profoundly impact their future. A sports camp has benefits for that sport, and usually for the team as well, but cannot match the inward growth of a spiritual camp experience. Being in youth ministry for almost 35 years, I know this in my own children, and in many, many students who have attended. Camp always provides inspiration, tools for continued growth, and increased connections in the youth group.
If any student needs funds or a scholarship to attend, I am willing to personally assist, and/or find funds to send a teen to a Christian summer camp.  We appreciate other organizations who also provide funding to those in need; a partnership between Camp Eagle and Straight Street allows students to attend a week in the summer for free. Straight Street also has a partnership with the Prison Fellowship Angel Tree ministry and Camps across the United States to send those with an incarcerated parent to camp for free.  It is one of their three main goals because they also realize the great importance.
BLESSINGS, JERI  (and feel free to contact me for Camp information… jeri@straightstreet.org)

  Prayer – Not just for Adults! The National Day of Prayer, instituted in 1952, falls on the first Thursday of May. This is a day when we see many leaders and adults scheduling a time to have corporate prayer for our Country. What about those impromptu times? Many times over our years of ministry it has been Teens who have initiated a time of prayer. One of those examples was while we were in Ashland, KY, going on an 18 mile bike trip with the students. One of those participating lived in another state and was visiting her grandmother; she was unfamiliar with the surroundings and as she was attempting to ride faster and catch up with the lead group, she missed a turn. When we all arrived at the halfway point, she could not be found. As my husband, the youth pastor, was panicking, one of our students said “Let’s pray!” As he recounts the story, he did not want to say no, but he was thinking..” we don’t have time to pray”. After this student and others prayed, calm returned and within minutes she called from a convenience store to tell us where she was (of course this was before cell phones). We have also experienced wonderful prayer times throughout ministry, during student camps and more. Calling out to God Almighty puts us in the right focus and humbles us as we remember Who we are praying to.  We can ask ourselves these other common questions, besides Who we are praying to:
   What do we pray for? We care about the needs of others and ourselves; we think about the internal and external needs. We pray about emotional, social, physical, mental, psychological, and medical concerns. We pray for the next momentary decision as well as our future.
   Where do we pray? We pray in our beds, at the table, in our cars, at school, at work and even at ball games. Since God is omnipresent, He is everywhere. He knows where we are and He knows what is happening around us. He is always available, ever present, ever caring.
   When do we pray? We can pray anytime; God is never too busy or too tired or too discouraged or too overwhelmed to hear us. He invites us into His presence and awaits our calling on Him. We pray when we wake up, when we go through our day, when we have overwhelming circumstances, when we face obstacles, when we are discouraged, and when we are content. I Thessalonians 5:17 tells us to “Pray continually.” Be ever mindful of God and His desire to hear from us.
   How do we pray? We can speak from the heart, we can repeat words from others, we can sing our prayer or we can let the Holy Spirit make intercession for us, sometimes by groaning instead of words (Romans 8:26-27).We can follow the Model Prayer given by Jesus in Matthew 6:5-15. We can read prayers written by those who have gone before us and we can express total honesty.
   We can also use a great acrostic: ACTS: A=Adoration; as we recount the wonderful attributes and character of God we realize He does have our best interests in mind and can lead us on a straight path and give us abundant life. C=Confession; it is imperative that we have a right relationship with God therefore we confess our sins and ask Him to forgive us and lead us. T=Thanksgiving; concentrating on the many ways God has blessed us and provided for us, through material and nontangible things, refocuses our prayer direction. S=Supplication; now we are ready to ask God for our needs, for others needs as well; we have realized that it is not necessarily the material things but the heart we are to be concerned with.
   Jesus found time for prayer even though He was part of the triune God. On several occasions, as reported in the Bible, He retreated away from others to spend time in prayer, communing with God. In our loud and busy world, it is necessary to be intentional with taking a retreat – putting aside the list of duties and responsibilities and even catching up on the news or social media posts- in order to focus on our relationship with God. This time for “retreat” can be any amount of time, any time of day and any place. Writers have suggested having a regular time of day, however there are many people who are unable to follow through with the same time; the most important part is to make the time. Your personal relationship with God is of the utmost importance and permeates every part of your life.
   Encouraging others to pray – the Teen Girls we know, live with or work with, need to know this is a beneficial and foundational part of their Christian life. Pray with them and for them. Prompt them to share their needs and concerns, deepening your relationships as you hear what is on their minds. Let them know your prayers and when the answers come. All prayers are answered by Yes, No, or Wait. When others share their prayers it is encouraging as we honestly share the concerns we have. We pray for small things because God cares about every aspect of our life including the numbers of hair on our head. We pray for large things because we know God owns all and is over all.
    “A Girls Guide to Prayer” is a devotional/educational book written for Girls to learn more about Prayer, including places to interact by writing and filling in the blanks. The author, Elizabeth George, states: “As you read, you’ll discover this book is packed with information that will show you how to know more about God and how to talk to Him about all the good and not-so-good things that are going on in your life.”  There are 10 chapters in this 121 page paperback book and it is available at christianbook.com for $2.99 I will be going through this book with the Straight Street girls this summer and am looking forward to us all increasing our prayer life!
  Personal note re: making the most of your time through praying. When I was working overnights on weekends, I would pray for God to double my naptime on Sundays so that I wouldn’t have to miss church. He answered my prayers and did give me the feeling of enough rest for the day so that I could stay awake all of Sunday night while working! Give God your time and He will increase your time!!
  Blessings,
  Jeri
   

Today is a Resource Blog – a review of two 30-day devotional books, written by Jen Barrick and her mother Linda Barrick. At the age of 15, Jen and her family were in a terrible car accident, hit by a drunk driver in 2006 in Lynchburg, VA.  Jen was in a coma for 5 weeks; the doctors did not give her much chance of living or being able to function well if she did. God has given her many miracles and although she has been through many surgeries and countless physical therapy sessions, she is a vibrant and active young lady. Early in her recovery she quoted scripture and has been able to sing praise songs, even when her brain injuries prohibited her from having regular conversations.  I remember praying for this family even though I did not know who they were. Jen’s life is truly a miracle from God and she treasures each day.
Jen and Linda were our main speakers for Blessed Girl Teen Conference in 2019. They both bring such joy and encouragement as they share their story and current blessings.  The devotional books they have written include stories, prayers and places to write about what you feel and answer questions to process the scriptures you have read for the day.
“Priceless” is a 203 page paperback devotional published in 2018 by Moody Press. The reader is encouraged to be honest with God and tell Him how you feel. In Day 5 you are asked to tell God why you are angry and given steps on what to do if you feel angry.  Each day has a scripture from the book of Psalms, such as Psalm 37 “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.”  Inspiring words are given such as on Day 22: “Like salvation laughter is a free gift from God. It’s God’s best natural medicine.  We have the choice every day to focus on the positive or negative. I like to think of Jesus laughing, not at me but with me. He is my best friend.”
In their second devotional book, published in 2020, “Beyond Priceless”, Jen shares: “My life will never be the same.  I have lots of hidden disabilities and every day is hard. But I’m not sad. I’m overflowing with peace and joy because I learned a secret; in the midst of my greatest trials, Jesus is enough!” This devotional is written recognizing that young women experience many feelings and it is important to acknowledge them . “The ups and downs of our feelings teach us to understand and experience new attributes of God and to learn to rely on Christ, our solid ground.”  There are places to write about how you feel about yourself, how you think God sees you, and you are prompted to write a prayer to God.
Jen writes, at the end of the book, “I pray you will allow God to capture your whole heart. Choose to go on an adventure with Him every single day.” This young lady will inspire you and challenge you to do just that, talk to Jesus every day and invite Him into your life; not just once but each day. You can find out more about their story and resources at hopeoutloud.com.
Blessings,
Jeri

SPRING—I have always thought of the Spring season as a time of freshness, a renewal; a time to look forward and to have hope for what is ahead.  Everywhere around there are trees budding and flowers blooming. Neighbors are outside working in the yard or taking walks and it is a good time to rene those  friendships.  Our Christian life needs a time of renewal also, to let go of the past and to “Press on towards the goal to win the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” as Paul tells us in Philippians 3:14.  Paul also tells us “we are hard-pressed on every side, struck down but not destroyed” (II Corinthian 4:8), but we know that God does send the refreshing rain and from that comes new growth. This is the “preparing soil and planting season” for those in our area. We  have most likely had our last frost, and it is safe to plant seeds in our gardens and fields. It is amazing how God has created the seasons and each season brings its own blessings.  As Ecclesiastes 3 tells us: "there is a time to reap and a time to sow, a time to plant and a time to gather”. Take time to take notice of the things you need to move on from, clearing out the dead plants, leaves and twigs in your own “Soil”, then as you need nourishment—seek refreshing water (Holy Spirit), and food (the Word of God). We also need the sun (Son of God) and fellowship (Other Christians); these will bring new growth in you and sustain you. Encourage others during this time as we look forward to being replenished from our Creator and Redeemer.
 Blessings, 
Jeri
"To plant a Garden is to believe in tomorrow”   Audrey Hepburn
 







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—”Blessed” meanings.. Synonyms are: exalted, rewarded, saved, holy, divine, favored, graced, fortunate, happy.  82 verses in the Bible contain the actual word “blessed”, however there are many more instances of God blessing people and nations. The internet can give us 1000 quotes on being blessed or blessed quotes. We can say we have a blessing, we are blessed, or tell others to “Be Blessed “or “Have a Blessed Day”. It is a positive word and when spoken to others, it is to wish them a good day or event. Including the term “Blessed” in the Girls’ conference title came from wanting each of us to realize how deep God’s love is for us and how blessed we are. It is in this knowing that we can rest and have confidence.
The first Blessed Girl Teen Conference was in February, 2014. It came about after I was trying to find a conference to take teen girls to, as I had done many years ago. The problem was that the only one I located was in Nashville, which was much too far to attend. I felt the Lord impressing upon me to start one and after much prayer and consideration, I began formalizing a plan. I knew many wonderful ladies in the Roanoke Valley who could lead the seminars, and asked my daughter in Lynchburg to recommend a lady to be the main speaker. She gave me the contact information for Rachel Travis, a former Mrs. Virginia winner and a former student at Word of Life Bible College. She did an amazing job speaking and even did a sweet duet with her mother. Although I had not planned further than this first conference, the attendees and youth leaders said we must do another; and so, we did and our 8th Annual Conference was February 2021. We did not want to cancel, even with the Pandemic, so we limited our attendance and also provided a virtual option. Evaluations and comments were positive and plans are to continue a virtual option in order to reach those who are unable to attend due to illness or location.
 
The first Conference also was centered around the Beatitudes. Found in Matthew 5:1-12, this is one of the most well known passages and includes 8 Blessings.  This is part of the sermon that Jesus gave in the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus makes it clear that broken people are accepted and that brokenness is normal. The poor in Spirit, those that mourn, the meek, the peacemakers and those who are persecuted, who hunger and thirst for righteousness, are those that Jesus came for.  Because He blesses us we will be comforted, filled, show mercy, see God, and have the kingdom of heaven. Basically He is saying it is worth it, the hard times will seem small when placed next to the gifts and promises of God.
Like a parent who loves their children and wants the best for them, so too is our Lord who hurts when we hurt, yet sees the bigger picture and provides the strength we need. God who walks with us in the storm, who wipes the tears from our eyes, who works things together for our good, who gives us a promise a day in His word. God who tells us we need fellowship, we need to bear one another’s burdens, and we can cry out to Him anytime, and that He will never leave us or forsake us. This God is the one we can depend on and the one we can rely on, the one true God, the I AM. The more that we delve into who God is, the more we can be assured that His desire is to bless us.
An old song, “Count your many blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.” Whenever I take time to count my blessings, my attitude and perspective is lifted and my load seems lighter. Let’s do that today, and more often; giving our cares and worries to God, allowing our days to be brighter and not just be blessed, but know we are blessed.
Blessings to you, Jeri  #blesssedgirlteenconference