Special to God

~Saturday Stories~

"You’re special to God, aren’t you? So you’re special to me." -Aleesha, Found in Translation

"He'd tell me I have so much potential and so much to look forward to because God has incredible plans in store for my life." - Unwritten Melody

"You are special in so many ways. You are kind. And you're so sweet with our children. You always put others first. ... But the most important reason is that God made you special, and he loves you so much." -Gloria, The Fight

How about you? Is it easy for you to forget that you are special to God and that He has great plans for you? Can you encourage someone with this truth today? 

My Name is Chloe by Melody Carlson

~Saturday Stories~

I have had the great privilege of having this book review posted on Rayleigh Gray's Literature Approved blog.

Please head over to her amazing website to read my review of  Melody Carlson's My Name is Chloe. God bless!

Sophie's World by Nancy Rue

~Saturday Stories~

Typical Sophie: "Sophie closed her eyes and listened to the clip-clop of the horses' hooves. Antoinette LaCroix peeked from inside the carriage, her face half hidden by the hood of her cloak. All around her colonists hurried to and fro..." 

A trip to Williamsburg sends Sophie's already very active imagination even further. She needs to help the colonists! But her delightful fantasies only land her in trouble. And now her dad thinks she needs to see a counselor. No way! He'll just say the same thing everybody does, that she's weird and should stop. But could there be a better way out of this trouble?

Sophie's World deals with a number of issues: family pressure, popular girls, friendships, being true to yourself, and asking God for help. Sophie is thought strange by almost everybody, and she wonders why they just can't understand. Sophie learns to control her daydreams a bit but stays herself throughout the story. In the end, her fantasies even help someone out! This story is awesome for middle-school girls struggling with who they are.

This is the first in the Sophie series. The series is packaged in six volumes of two stories each: Meet Sophie (Sophie's World & Sophie's Secret), Sophie Steps Up (Sophie Under Pressure & Sophie Steps Up), Sophie and Friends (Sophie's First Dance & Sophie's Stormy Summer), Sophie's Friendship Fiasco (Sophie's Friendship Fiasco & Sophie and the New Girl), Sophie Flakes Out (Sophie Flakes Out & Sophie Love Jimmy), and Sophie's Drama (Sophie's Drama & Sophie Gets Real).

For more on Nancy Rue, visit her website and Facebook page.

Should we be ourselves or not?

~Tuesday Thoughts~

So often we struggle to be like everybody else. We wear ourselves our trying to fit in. And of course every setting has its own expectations, so we try to please all.

But what about being an individual, a  maybe-strange but definitely-unique person? Somehow that seems even harder.

Abby O. has a great post on Nancy Rue's blog about this. Do check it out!

It's hard to remember sometimes, but we really are wonderfully made. We are loved and we are forgiven.

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[a] 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 (NIV)

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9 (NIV)

Amen! Hallelujah!

You Can't Sit With Us by Nancy Rue

~Saturday Stories~

Typical Ginger: "“Now, tell me the names people call you. Think of them as the labels they put on you.” I didn’t remind her we only had fifteen minutes left. “Annoying,” I said right away. She wrote Annoying on one of the notes and stuck it on the front of my T-shirt. “What else?” “Loser,” I said. That went on a note and then on my shirt. We continued with Smelly, Not Girly, Loud, Obnoxious, Klutz, Weirdo, Fat, Freak, Bullhorn, Stupid, and Ugly."

After all that had been done about anti-bullying, Ginger thought she was finally safe from the Pack's tauntings. Wrong. Kylie and her friends have resumed their bullying - now undercover. They have ways to hurt her without anyone ever being able to pinpoint it to them. And this time Ginger can't tell others about it... or something worse might happen.

Ginger's voice was really authentic. I liked getting to know more about her and what she felt about her mom dying years ago and their family's constant moving. It hurt when she couldn't sit with her friends anymore because the bullies said so. The way Ginger grew and matured throughout the story is simply beautiful.

Bullying isn't a joke. It's real and it's out there. You Can't Sit With Us deals more with the word-bullying than the hit-and-punch bullying. The type of bullying that leaves you feeling like a loser and a nerd. The type that threatens a girl through email and spreads rumors on Twitter and vandalizes her dad's car. The type that's hard to pinpoint and that's easy to miss for the adults. But it's still there.

You Can't Sit With Us is Nancy Rue's second book in the anti-bullying series. It is told from the bullied girl's point of view. Ginger learns that sometimes bullying won't go away and that she can't give away the power to be herself even when it's hard. There is also discussion on how to do that.

If you want some great fiction with an even greater message, you might enjoy this book. The first one - So Not Okay- is told from the bystander's point of view. Sorry I'm Not Sorry, the third book, is told from the bully's point of view.

If you'd like more information on the anti-bullying campaign you can visit the movement's website. For more on Nancy Rue, visit her website, Facebook page, and blogs for tweens, teens, and new adults.

Who I am

~Monday Movies & Music

"Who I Am" is a song by Blanca. Here are the lyrics.

There are times when we might feel worthless and unloved. But there is good news. We are God's children! Can you imagine that?

"Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God." John 1:12-13(NIV)

It is not because of something we have done, but because of His great love.

"he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit," Titus 3:5 (NIV)

Praise God for His awesome gift!!!! Who can you tell this today?

Me, Just Different by Stephanie Morrill

~Saturday Stories~

Typical Skylar:  “I’m so what?” I attempted to sound forceful enough to make Connor rethink this whole line of conversation. “Cliché,” he said. “Cliché!” Far worse than the profane description I assumed he’d assign me. “I’m anything but a cliché.” ... “I’ve never been told something so offensive in my entire life.” I could feel the twitch of my left eye as I struggled to hold in tears. “What makes me a cliché?”

After a night she wish she could forget, Skylar knows changes have to be made. Changes like going back to church and not driving her sister to her boyfriend's place. But she never thought it would be so hard.  It doesn't get easier when she finds out her sister is pregnant and her parents are on verge of separation. Is it even possible to change? Are there people out there who won't let her down?

I enjoyed Me, Just Different a lot! It kept me turning page after page with its beautiful story. Skylar learns that change is not easy and that God is the only One who will never let her down. I wish more was said about having a relationship with Christ. God helping you change and become nicer was accented, but not the relationship itself.  I enjoyed it immensely and recommend it for older teen girls.

This is the first in the Reinvention of Skylar Hoyt series. The second and third are Out with the In Crowd and So Over It. Stephanie Morrill also has a novella, Throwing Stones, free on her website.

For more on Stephanie Morrill visit her website and Facebook page. She also is the founder of Go Teen Writers, a blog with lots of writing advice.

The Call to Give, Part 3: Talents

~Tuesday Thoughts~

These November Tuesdays I want to explore the theme of giving. The Dictionary of Bible Themes divides it up into four things: giving of oneself, of possessions, of talents, and of time. I'm mixing that order up and we’ll have possessions first, time second, talents third and then –oh, the climax!- the giving of oneself. Two Tuesdays ago we talked about giving possesions and last Tuesday about giving time. Today we'll talk about giving our talents.


God is the one who gave us the talents we have. And, yes, even though it seems sometimes like we're talentless we do have them. 

"We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us." Romans 12:6a (NIV)

"For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?" 1 Corinthians 4:7 (NIV)

Talents are different. The talents you have are not the talents I have; the things you do well I might not - and vice versa. 

"But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that." 1 Corinthians 7:7b (NIV)

Talents should be used. Maybe you have heard the parable about using the talents. You can read it in Mathew 25:14-30 (it's in the New King James Version) and a similar one in Luke 19:11-27.

How, then, should our talents be used? Great question.

We should use them for God's glory.

"If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen." 1 Peter 4:11 (NIV)

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." 1 Corinthians 10:31 (NIV)

We should use them for the good of those around us.

"Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms." 1 Peter 4:10(NIV)

"Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good." 1 Corinthians 12:7 (NIV)


Two more things about talents:

Talents will be accounted for.

“After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them." Matthew 25:19(NIV)

And - great news! - there will be rewards too. Although salvation is given by grace and not for works, God does reward us for what we do later on.

"He repays everyone for what they have done;
  he brings on them what their conduct deserves." Job 34:11 (NIV)

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ Matthew 25:21 (NIV)

How about you? What talents do you have? How do you already use them for God and for the good of others? How can you use them even more?

Each one of us is unique

~Tuesday Thoughts~

On Saturday I was at a youth group meeting and while we were singing I thought of something. This is a somewhat elaborated version of my thought.


The things that burden me aren't the things YOU cry yourself to sleep about. Everyone's different; the things that I struggle with you might laugh off. The temptations that get to you might not be such a problem to me. Or vice versa.

When we sing our praises to God, when we think of all the stuff He's done for us and all the stuff He and we are still working on EACH OF US HAS HIS OWN PICTURE.

Oh, the things we face may be similar: the constant feeling of not belonging anywhere or being vain or something else. But they're not exactly exactly alike.


We are all of us different. The good news? God knows each and every single one of us and He's there for us. All of us. Always.

Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. Hebrews 2:18 (NIV)