| Keep The Faith Girlfriends! | | Posted by Frankie on Thursday, June 24, 2010 at 6:44pm | In ministry I have the opportunity to hear many prayer request and many needs. We are living in difficult times. Please know that nothing is too difficult for our God-His arm is not too short. For this season, allow God to strengthen your faith. At this particular time, my family has stood at the waters edge waiting for God to part our Red Sea...and He did. We are not all the way across but we are close:) Therefore I want to encourage you-to ask and believe! He is Faithful.
It is essential for you to believe that God will be there for you during this time. For God is for you and He has a plan for your life. Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not unto your own understanding. In all of your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your path. The will of God will never take you where the grace of God cannot keep you.
Isaiah 41:10
Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Romans 12:12
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer.
And remember this- Luke 1:37
For nothing is Impossible with God.
If you lack faith, pray and ask your Heavenly Father, He would be delighted to do that just for you.
Bless you dear one-and let me know if I can pray for you.
| | | | | Miley Cyrus-An Article by Erin Roach | | Posted by Frankie on Friday, May 28, 2010 at 8:12am | I wanted to share this article by Erin Roach from the Baptist Press-who addresses the issue of Miley Cyrus and her new racey video. It is for moms-grandmoms-and everyone who influences and works with girls. Please take this issue to heart and before the Heavenly Father.
Miley Cyrus presents parenting dilemma
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--As Miley Cyrus transitions from her Disney image as Hannah Montana to the teenage star of racy music videos, parents whose daughters revere her are left with a dilemma: How do they explain to their children that Miley isn't an ideal role model? Is a talk even necessary?
Dannah Gresh and Vicki Courtney, two mothers known for their guidance of young girls, each addressed the topic on their blogs after the release of Miley's sexually provocative video for the song "Can't Be Tamed."
In an open letter to Miley's parents, Billy Ray and Tish Cyrus, Gresh acknowledged that in the past she gave Miley room to make mistakes and encouraged forgiveness. But the latest video crosses a new line.
"I wanted Miley to be the one who would say no to the money-hungry industry that turns perfectly adorable, talented young girls into common sex toys. You -- her parents -- were my hope," Gresh wrote May 12 at blog.secretkeepergirl.com. "That's why I'm so utterly shocked at what appears to be the parental approval you placed on Can't Be Tamed."
Gresh said Miley, 17, still looks to her parents for direction and said in an interview that she reasoned that the video could not possibly be too sexual because her mother was sitting on the set.
Miley even acknowledged her following, which includes hundreds of thousands of tweens, by saying, "A lot of my fans have grown with me on the show, and I think [the video] is the first step to growing up."
"A girl doesn't have to and shouldn't grow up to be what Miley portrays in Can't Be Tamed. I've been on the front lines of counseling sexually broken teenage girls for 12 years, and they get broken by imitating the behavior they see in videos like this," Gresh wrote in the letter to Miley's parents. "The media fuels behavior, especially when a face as trusted as your daughter's is showcased."
Gresh said research indicates there is a link between early sexual activity and the amount of sexual imagery a child views in her formative years. The more the child sees, the greater the risk of early sexual activity.
Also, research shows that girls who are exposed to music lyrics, Internet content and picture-perfect beauty icons in their tween years tend to be more likely to struggle with eating disorders, depression and low self-esteem when they are teens, Gresh said.
"While the impact is not immediate, it comes like a stick of dynamite to blow up everything you've attempted to build into your daughter," Gresh wrote on the blog. "One day you have a bright little sixth grader, and the next you have a depressed ninth grader with an eating disorder. What they feast on is what they desire to become. But they can't be the picture perfect, dolled-up Miley. Miley isn't even that. It's an illusion."
Gresh, author of the upcoming book "Six Ways to Keep the Little in Your Girl," offered three pieces of advice for handling the latest Miley debacle with young girls. First, with teenage girls only, watch the video and read the letter Gresh wrote to Miley's parents.
"If you've been fueling them with the right stuff along the way, they won't even need the letter to help them think it through. My daughter Lexi, upon seeing the video, announced her disappointment. 'That's just stupid!' she said.
"Look at this as a great opportunity to talk to your daughter about her self-worth," Gresh said. "Remind her that playing the tramp doesn't attract the right kind of interest. Case in point, the advertising community has discovered by way of research that sex does sell, but it doesn't sell brand.
"For example, if you use sex to sell Kleenex, viewers tend to become more interested in product (tissues) but they tend less to remember the brand of Kleenex. In general, when a girl behaves like Miley in public places, she creates interest in product (girl) and less memory of brand (insert-your-daughter's-name-here)," she wrote.
For younger girls, rather than watching the video with them, Gresh suggests saying, "Miley decided to make a video that shows too much of her body in ways that I don't want you to see."
"Your 8, 9, 10-year-old should not see the video," she said. "But she also should probably not be plugged in to the Miley Mania until Miley decides to be a better role model. So, talk to her and trust God to guide you."
Finally, Gresh advised parents to be careful with Miley's heart and name.
"The goal is not to boycott or vilify her. She is God's precious creation and, just like us, will make some mistakes along the way," Gresh wrote. "Take this as a teachable moment to point that finger right back at yourselves as mother/daughter. In what areas of your lives are you being careless?
"Where might there be influences that could cause you to make similar judgment errors? Creating a video like this is really not worse than watching them as a regular course of action. Have you been doing that? Open your own heart and be careful with Miley's during this tender time, or you may send your daughter the message that if she behaves a certain way she isn't restorable. She is. And so is Miley."
Courtney, author of "5 Conversations You Must Have With Your Daughter," said that as mothers across the country are throwing out their daughters' Hannah Montana backpacks, lunchboxes and T-shirts, Miley appears to be on the same path as Britney Spears, who sacrificed "her girlhood innocence on the sex-sells altar of fame and fortune."
Like Gresh, Courtney advised parents to put a positive spin on a difficult subject.
"It's okay to be disappointed over Miley's actions," Courtney wrote at vickicourtney.com. "But rather than crucify her (in the hearing of our children), what if we instead acknowledge the video and what it represents (aka: take advantage of a teachable moment) and shift the focus to examining our own hearts and encouraging our children to do the same?
"What if we as parents set an example to our children by stepping up and owning it when we ourselves are guilty of chasing after counterfeit gods? Now, that would be radical, wouldn't it? And rather refreshing, I might add."
Children, she said, need to understand the concept that believers are works in progress, and that sometimes second chances are appropriate.
"I hope and pray Miley finds her way back to God's path. If she is a believer, we can be certain that deep within the recesses of her heart she knows freedom in Christ doesn't mean living your life any old way you please and excusing it under an umbrella of cheap grace," Courtney wrote.
"A true believer can't live a life that is openly contrary to God's standards for long without experiencing tremendous conviction for their waywardness. The conviction will eat their lunch and eventually bring them to a place of godly sorrow that results in repentance."
--30--
Erin Roach is a staff writer for Baptist Press.
| | | | | Baptist Press Article On Miley Cyrus | | Posted by Frankie on Friday, May 28, 2010 at 8:07am | I wanted to share this wondeful article by Erin Roach who address the Hot Topic of Miley Cryus. Moms...grandma's and people who work with girls-this is for us.
Miley Cyrus presents parenting dilemma
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--As Miley Cyrus transitions from her Disney image as Hannah Montana to the teenage star of racy music videos, parents whose daughters revere her are left with a dilemma: How do they explain to their children that Miley isn't an ideal role model? Is a talk even necessary?
Dannah Gresh and Vicki Courtney, two mothers known for their guidance of young girls, each addressed the topic on their blogs after the release of Miley's sexually provocative video for the song "Can't Be Tamed."
In an open letter to Miley's parents, Billy Ray and Tish Cyrus, Gresh acknowledged that in the past she gave Miley room to make mistakes and encouraged forgiveness. But the latest video crosses a new line.
"I wanted Miley to be the one who would say no to the money-hungry industry that turns perfectly adorable, talented young girls into common sex toys. You -- her parents -- were my hope," Gresh wrote May 12 at blog.secretkeepergirl.com. "That's why I'm so utterly shocked at what appears to be the parental approval you placed on Can't Be Tamed."
Gresh said Miley, 17, still looks to her parents for direction and said in an interview that she reasoned that the video could not possibly be too sexual because her mother was sitting on the set.
Miley even acknowledged her following, which includes hundreds of thousands of tweens, by saying, "A lot of my fans have grown with me on the show, and I think [the video] is the first step to growing up."
"A girl doesn't have to and shouldn't grow up to be what Miley portrays in Can't Be Tamed. I've been on the front lines of counseling sexually broken teenage girls for 12 years, and they get broken by imitating the behavior they see in videos like this," Gresh wrote in the letter to Miley's parents. "The media fuels behavior, especially when a face as trusted as your daughter's is showcased."
Gresh said research indicates there is a link between early sexual activity and the amount of sexual imagery a child views in her formative years. The more the child sees, the greater the risk of early sexual activity.
Also, research shows that girls who are exposed to music lyrics, Internet content and picture-perfect beauty icons in their tween years tend to be more likely to struggle with eating disorders, depression and low self-esteem when they are teens, Gresh said.
"While the impact is not immediate, it comes like a stick of dynamite to blow up everything you've attempted to build into your daughter," Gresh wrote on the blog. "One day you have a bright little sixth grader, and the next you have a depressed ninth grader with an eating disorder. What they feast on is what they desire to become. But they can't be the picture perfect, dolled-up Miley. Miley isn't even that. It's an illusion."
Gresh, author of the upcoming book "Six Ways to Keep the Little in Your Girl," offered three pieces of advice for handling the latest Miley debacle with young girls. First, with teenage girls only, watch the video and read the letter Gresh wrote to Miley's parents.
"If you've been fueling them with the right stuff along the way, they won't even need the letter to help them think it through. My daughter Lexi, upon seeing the video, announced her disappointment. 'That's just stupid!' she said.
"Look at this as a great opportunity to talk to your daughter about her self-worth," Gresh said. "Remind her that playing the tramp doesn't attract the right kind of interest. Case in point, the advertising community has discovered by way of research that sex does sell, but it doesn't sell brand.
"For example, if you use sex to sell Kleenex, viewers tend to become more interested in product (tissues) but they tend less to remember the brand of Kleenex. In general, when a girl behaves like Miley in public places, she creates interest in product (girl) and less memory of brand (insert-your-daughter's-name-here)," she wrote.
For younger girls, rather than watching the video with them, Gresh suggests saying, "Miley decided to make a video that shows too much of her body in ways that I don't want you to see."
"Your 8, 9, 10-year-old should not see the video," she said. "But she also should probably not be plugged in to the Miley Mania until Miley decides to be a better role model. So, talk to her and trust God to guide you."
Finally, Gresh advised parents to be careful with Miley's heart and name.
"The goal is not to boycott or vilify her. She is God's precious creation and, just like us, will make some mistakes along the way," Gresh wrote. "Take this as a teachable moment to point that finger right back at yourselves as mother/daughter. In what areas of your lives are you being careless?
"Where might there be influences that could cause you to make similar judgment errors? Creating a video like this is really not worse than watching them as a regular course of action. Have you been doing that? Open your own heart and be careful with Miley's during this tender time, or you may send your daughter the message that if she behaves a certain way she isn't restorable. She is. And so is Miley."
Courtney, author of "5 Conversations You Must Have With Your Daughter," said that as mothers across the country are throwing out their daughters' Hannah Montana backpacks, lunchboxes and T-shirts, Miley appears to be on the same path as Britney Spears, who sacrificed "her girlhood innocence on the sex-sells altar of fame and fortune."
Like Gresh, Courtney advised parents to put a positive spin on a difficult subject.
"It's okay to be disappointed over Miley's actions," Courtney wrote at vickicourtney.com. "But rather than crucify her (in the hearing of our children), what if we instead acknowledge the video and what it represents (aka: take advantage of a teachable moment) and shift the focus to examining our own hearts and encouraging our children to do the same?
"What if we as parents set an example to our children by stepping up and owning it when we ourselves are guilty of chasing after counterfeit gods? Now, that would be radical, wouldn't it? And rather refreshing, I might add."
Children, she said, need to understand the concept that believers are works in progress, and that sometimes second chances are appropriate.
"I hope and pray Miley finds her way back to God's path. If she is a believer, we can be certain that deep within the recesses of her heart she knows freedom in Christ doesn't mean living your life any old way you please and excusing it under an umbrella of cheap grace," Courtney wrote.
"A true believer can't live a life that is openly contrary to God's standards for long without experiencing tremendous conviction for their waywardness. The conviction will eat their lunch and eventually bring them to a place of godly sorrow that results in repentance."
--30--
Erin Roach is a staff writer for Baptist Press.
| | | | | Are You A Morning Person? | | Posted by Frankie on Thursday, April 1, 2010 at 7:10am | Many years ago I had been invited to speak at a church for their Women’s Ministry event. Believe me when I say I will never forget it.
The message I was sharing was called “Sisters in the Hood”—from Womanhood to Motherhood to Nanahood.” It covered God’s calling and His desire for women. It was mixed with sound biblical teaching but also tons of fun. We women are hysterical, and in addition to being a bible teacher, I am a funny lady. In fact that’s why the director had invited me to speak. Her church had recently been through a very difficult time, but was now on a new journey, and she felt they needed a night of joy and encouragement.
I was confident about this particular message because I had presented it several times. It had been well received and had touched many hearts.
The night of the event after a lovely dinner, from out of nowhere the pastor asked to say a few words. Uh-oh, I thought, I haven’t met many pastors who only says a few words, plus he even had a suit on.
During his uh “few words message” he reminded them of the past, and how hard it had been. Suddenly the women began weeping and were heavy with despair. But I noticed something else…they liked it. It was exactly what they wanted and where they wanted to be—in the valley of despair.
After about 45 minutes of this, someone said it was my turn. What? How do I follow that? I came bearing Good News! God had given me a wonderful discerning spirit, but at that moment I didn’t know what to do. Speakers can’t rewrite their message on the spot. However, I had driven over one hundred and fifty miles and I had eaten my dinner, so I had to do something.
I spoke from my heart, about the goodness of God, and how the joy of the Lord is our strength, but the ladies would not receive it. They wanted to stay in the moment of weeping. I tried to remind them of God’s word where it says, Weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning (Psalm 3:5). And Morning Had Come!
Unfortunately, they weren’t ready for morning. They wanted to sit in the dark, mull over their past, nurse old grudges and believe that God was picking on them. They weren’t ready to receive the joy that being alive Christ brings.
What about you girlfriend? Are you stuck in darkness somewhere reliving the pain of the past? Weep no more. It’s time to become a morning girl. God wants to bring you the good news.
The tomb is empty. Jesus is alive!
In John 20:13, Jesus asked Mary Magdalene, “Woman why are you crying?” She answered, “They have taken away my Lord.” Moments later she would discover that NO one can ever take away OUR LORD.
I know how hard life is girlfriends. Many of us are living in the toughest times of our lives. But remember—NO one can take away YOUR LORD. Please don’t stay stuck in despair. Be of good cheer. In this world we are going to have trials and tribulation, but Jesus said he has overcome the world (John 16:33). And the apostle Paul says we are more than overcomers. So let’s overcome our despair and rejoice in the Lord. He is alive.
Frankie is a natonal speaker for Christian Women's events and conferences.
She loves, God's Word, Sweet Tea, and the joy of sharing the power of God with others.
| | | | | A Girlfriends Guide to Fashion | | Posted by Frankie on Thursday, March 18, 2010 at 8:13am | Fashion Week is the Super Bowl of fashion where the biggest names in fashion unveil their latest designs on the runways of Paris and New York.
Fashion designers live and breathe by the critics reviews, hoping to have their latest original grace the cover of Vogue Magazine. More important though, is that major department stores will stock their designs and perhaps one of them will become the “must have” for the coming season.
I watched a documentary about this and after seeing some of their designs, I wondered - what planet are they from? Or maybe what planet would I wear that on? For certain, I don’t think I would ever consult one of them for fashion advice. If I do, would you please call the prayer chain and add my name…immediately?
For this coming season I did manage to find “a must have list” for those of us who live in the real world and enjoy a sense of style. I also found a great list of “must have” accessories that will enhance any outfit! Girlfriend, you will truly make a fashion statement in these!
A True Fashion Expert
The Apostle Paul provides some true fashion advice for believers. His advice will never grace the runways of Paris, but will definitely make a fashion statement for our Lord. These accessories have the power to not only transform our lives but the lives of people around us. Let’s look at those now in Colossians 3:12-14.
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, CLOTHE yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. VS- 14 And over all these virtues put on love which binds them all together in perfect unity.
If we clothe ourselves in these virtues think of the fashion statement we can make in our world. Not only will we be the best dressed lady in our circle of influence, but we will be “in vogue” with the ultimate designer … our Lord God. And isn’t His opinion the only one that matters?
Fashion Scene for Spring---a mix of familiar and new pieces,
This spring it's yes to the dress. Great news for those of us girly girls. They have them in every style color and shape.
1) Anything white. That means handbags, sandals, sunglasses, jeans, tops and jackets. Remember if you live in the south---don’t wear white shoes until Easter and never after Labor Day.
2) The new cardigan. Or really, the one we've been wearing for a while, the long, boyfriend cardigan that's cozy and chic, no matter the season.
3) Peasant top.. Look for a billowy top that's embroidered or embellished or has a fun print or pattern.
4) Novelty skirt. Long, tiered, short and sassy. Just remember that modest is the hottest?
5) Ruffled blouse. Yep. Same kind we've been wearing.
6) Anything in denim. Long or cropped jeans, skirts, and don't forget white jeans.
7) Maxi dress Bold print or maybe one in a more subtle solid. (I think I will leave this to the younger generation. I am of the age where I ask …is it just me… or is it hot in here?)
8) Spring scarf. It's the must have accessory these days, no matter what the weather's doing outside.
9) Statement necklace. I leave that to you. I like jewelry but I like to keep it clean and neat.
10) Tribal sandals. –Details with beading. Who knew being fashion savvy had to be so complicated?
Frankie Sherman presents a one hour message on this topic for mother daughter events.
A Girlfriends Guide to Fashion - What Not to Wear and Why.
For booking information contact her at www.frankidsherman.com
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