2 Corinthians 9:7: “Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart . . . for God loves a cheerful giver.”

I love the Christmas season! I love driving around to look at the Christmas lights, ice skating at our local park, baking dozens of cookies, enjoying festive decorations and trees in almost every home I visit, and I particularly enjoy coming home to my own cozy home and sitting by the fireplace with a cup of hot tea.

We all have different things we love about the holidays, and favorite traditions we look forward to each year. This year, let’s start the tradition of giving. There are so many people in need, people who can’t afford trees, presents, or Christmas meals. Let’s cheerfully give some of what we have to someone in need, as we’re told to do in 2 Corinthians 9:7.

The above verse about giving is specifically talking about regularly giving money to the church, but it can definitely apply to how we’re to give every day; cheerfully, and as we’ve decided in our hearts.

Change it up

Most of our articles focus on giving this month, and have fabulous ideas of how to give to others. The list below lets you know when each column is going to have a new article posted this month, so you know when to come back to read your favorite columns!

Dec 1: Daily Bible Reading
Dec 1: Devotional
Dec 1: Health and Fitness
Dec 1: Gifted Girls
Dec 2: Family
Dec 3: Cooking Corner
Dec 4: Helping Hands
Dec 5: Words of Wisdom
Dec 6: Friends
Dec 7: Top Ten
Dec 9: Media Matters
Dec 11: Dating
Dec 13: Tough Stuff
Dec 15: Devotional
Dec 17: Fashion and Beauty
Dec 19: Creation Corner
Dec 21: A Girl Like You
Dec 23: Heart to Heart
Dec 25: Ask A Guy
Dec 27: Spread the Word

This Christmas, and always, remember the Ultimate Gift, and make a list of what you can do for others, not just what you want others to give to you.

Remembering Him,

Colossians 3:17 “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”

Thankfulness Matters

In a world where we’re taught to want more, and to want it right now, it can become difficult to experience true gratitude for our blessings. We have so much to be thankful for in our families, and other relationships. We can even be thankful for the kindness of complete strangers.

Some of us may feel there isn’t much in our lives to be thankful for, but there really is, even amidst trials. We can be thankful for our health, our bodies, and, most importantly, God, our Creator and Savior.

To really get in a thankful mood, try watching a movie about gratitude this month.

Show Gratitude

We can express thankfulness to our families by helping around the house, helping with a holiday meal, or beginning a small family project.

We can also share our gratefulness with strangers by using kind words or by volunteering at a homeless shelter.

Ultimately, we can show our gratitude to God by studying His Word, telling others about His love, behaving like an obedient, loving Christian, thinking about our blessings, enjoying His creation, and trusting Him with our relationships.

November News

Our new desktop image is up! Download it for free and enjoy having our key scripture on your computer this month. Answer our poll questions located underneath some of our articles, and feel free to comment underneath your favorite columns!

You can also join our Facebook Fan Club and invite your friends to become members, so they can learn about Pierce My Heart too!

Your Turn

Now that we’re all equipped with the knowledge we need in order to be fully thankful, let’s put that knowledge to use and make this year the best Thanksgiving yet; not because of the food, or even because of the company, but because we’re Christians, and no matter what happens in our lives, the fact doesn’t change that, thanks to Jesus Christ, every one of us has the chance to spend eternity with Him in heaven. All we have to do is choose to obey.

Thinking Gratitude,

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Proverbs 31:10 “Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies.”

Learn about virtue.

This staff isn’t perfect, but we all strive to be virtuous. Learn from our mistakes, read about how to develop virtuous relationships, and practice different ways of making virtue an everyday habit. Being a virtuous girl means refusing to accept sin in any form, including ways that are commonly accepted in our society.

October News:

We are excited to announce the premiere of our brand new media page which has desktop images and buddy icons available for download. Make your own desktop image and send it in with your name underneath your creation so we can post it on our media page for girls across the country to download!

Subscribe to this magazine for free by typing your e-mail address into the “eNews & Updates” box on the right-hand side of the page. You will receive one e-mail per day with all of the articles that have been added in the past 24 hours. We won’t clutter your in-box with useless nothings, so if there haven’t been any new articles in the past 24 hours, you simply won’t receive an e-mail that day!

Many people will celebrate Halloween at the end of this month, but some of us may not know how Halloween began or what it entails. Learn about the history of Halloween, and think about ways to have fun this autumn without celebrating any of the witchcraft this holiday is often associated with. Consider the meaning of costumes and parties that have supernatural undertones, and choose to only take part in activities that are pure and virtuous.

Back to the Virtue

The best way to become, and stay, virtuous is to read and study your Bible daily, and surround yourself with people who will encourage you to be pure. Spend this month focusing on becoming virtuous in all areas of your life, and you will be a more content, and more confident, person because of it.

Thinking virtue,

Romans 11:33 “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!”

If you’re new to Bible study, I recommend reading our September Devotional, which will give a few tips on getting started.  Prayer is how we talk to God, and Bible study is how we listen.  I’d be pretty annoyed if I had a friend who always wanted to talk to me when she was upset, but never listened to anything I have to say, or never called when she was happy.  When we only pray in time of need, and rarely crack open our Bibles, we’re that kind of friend to Jesus.  Let’s all make a conscience decision to become a better friend to Christ, starting right now!

Help Wanted

As you read our articles this month, consider becoming part of our volunteer staff!  We need help in several areas. If you feel able to volunteer after reading the following help wanted information and praying for God’s guidance, contact us for more information, and we’ll send you an application.

Cartoonist – The Tales of Mary
Reviewer – Media Matters
Photographer – Monthly Columns
Writer – Family, Daily Bible Reading
Associate Writer – Dating
Occasional Help – Devotionals, Heart to Heart, Creation Corner, Gifted Girls, Words of Wisdom

If you’d like to help and none of the above listings appeal to you, visit Expressions Unlimited to see more opportunities.

Closing Words

After reading many of the September articles, I’ve been convicted in my own heart to make more time to study God’s word.  I pray you’ll allow yourself to be convicted as well, so that you will open your Bible and your heart, and read and love the greatest Book ever written.

Studying Him,

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Titus 2:7-8 “In all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified, sound in speech which is beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us.”

I used to love the beginning of the school year—new books (I love to read!), new clothes, new pencils, new backpacks. Basically, I just love fresh starts.

We have a wonderful opportunity to teach people about Christ at school, whether we’re in a public high school, a homeschool group, a community college, or a private university. Decide to make this school year your best yet, and choose to live in a way that lets others see Christ’s love shining through you.

Check out our cooking corner for ideas on serving others with food; read our dating article to feel inspired to be bold about being pure; and print off our devotionals, daily Bible reading plans, or Spread the Word articles if you want something to take to school with you to help you share the Word of God with your friends.

Other magazine news

Subscriptions:
Subscriptions are a great way to receive magazine updates right in your in-box! Here’s how it works: One e-mail is sent out once each evening with all updates that were made that day. No updates? No e-mail! To subscribe, just type your e-mail address into the box to your right and follow the instructions.

Past issues:
New to the magazine? No problem! Just click on our Monthly Issues link at the top of this page, and choose a month to read! Once you click on a certain month, every article that was posted during that month will appear, ready for your reading pleasure! You can also click on the current month to view our most recent articles.   Fun fact: if you click on the photo of the flower in Monthly Issues, it will enlarge, and a prayer will be revealed. That prayer is a clue to upcoming themes!

Be involved:
There are several ways you, the reader, can be involved in our magazine! Visit Expressions Unlimited to see things you can do to be included in the Pierce My Heart fun! You can also leave comments on any and all articles that are written by clicking the “leave a comment” button on the bottom of the article. Be patient though! The comments must be approved by our moderator before they will appear. Some of our articles even have polls, so let us know what you think by answering them!

Closing words

Thank you for reading our magazine, and please, let your heart be pierced by Christ so you can make a Christian statement at your school!

Sharing Him,

Galatians 5:1 “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.”

Americans celebrate the nation’s freedom every year on July fourth, but as Christians, we should enjoy our freedom in Christ every day!  We will go through tough times and we will make mistakes, but we can still take comfort in knowing that no matter what happens to us, Jesus is there every step of the way.

This month, grab a glass of lemonade, sit back, and join us in exploring the joy of the freedom that only Christ can give.  We’ll post many new articles throughout the month, so check our Monthly Issues often to see what’s new.  You can also subscribe to Pierce My Heart by using the bar on the right, so updates will be sent straight to your in-box!

I pray that your heart will be pierced to become free in Christ if you aren’t already, and so you can enjoy that freedom every day.

Living Free,

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Welcome to Pierce My Heart, the brand new online Christian magazine just for teen girls! June 2008 is our premiere issue, and an exciting time for us because we’ve been working towards this for months! Our theme for June is “Pierce my heart in the Son” and our key scripture is 1 John 4:9 “By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.” Please take a look around, vote on our polls, and let us know what you think! Thanks for stopping by!

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