Standing out at school can be a simple thing, by dressing differently and avoiding curse words that many speak without thinking. But you can also stand out by helping other people in your school: someone’s backpack has broken and their stuff has spilled out all over the hallway. Do you stop to help them, or do you rush off to class because the teacher will make you write an essay about being on time? Think about the answer while reading through this song, “A Beautiful Life,” by William M. Golden.
Each day I’ll do a golden deed,
By helping those who are in need;
My life on earth is but a span,
And so I’ll do the best I can.
To be a child of God each day,
My light must shine along the way;
I’ll sing His praise while ages roll,
And strive to help some troubled soul.
The only life that will endure,
Is one that’s kind and good and pure;
And so for God I’ll take my stand,
Each day I’ll lend a helping hand.
I’ll help someone in time of need,
And journey on with rapid speed;
I’ll help the sick and poor and weak,
And words of kindness to them speak.
While going down life’s weary road,
I’ll try to lift some trav’ler’s load;
I’ll try to turn the night to day,
Make flowers bloom along the way.
Life’s evening sun is sinking low,
A few more days and I must go,
To meet the deeds that I have done,
Where there will be no setting sun.
Your actions speak louder than your words. “If you say, ‘Surely we did not know this,’ Does not He who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not know it? And will He not render to each man according to his deeds?” Proverbs 24:12
God will know why you did help someone – because they needed help, or because you thought there would be some reward involved – or why you didn’t help. “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words” (Matthew 6:5-7).
Your actions will set you apart and make you stand out – but make sure that you are doing these actions for the right reasons, and God will reward you for having a right heart, one that is turned toward Him and His word!
Dear God,
Please help me to have the heart of a true servant, so that Your love may show through me. Please help me to have a pure heart and good intentions when I serve others, and please help open my eyes to acts of service that I am able to do. Help me to love and serve like You do.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
By Megan Skinner
I am a mom, dealing with an 18-year-old daughter who has her first boyfriend. He is 23–a scary thing for me. Anyway, my daughter thinks it’s fine to be on the phone at all hours of the early morning. I know this is wrong. She says, “Get over it, Mom; it’s summer. I can talk to him whenever I want.” Well . . . can you show her why it is not wise, let alone that her parents have asked her not to do it, and month after month she still does it?
If you have serious concerns about your daughter’s relationship with her boyfriend, we recommend sitting down with your daughter, at a neutral time, and lovingly voicing your concerns about her relationship. Begin this session with a joint prayer, asking God to open both of your hearts to each other, and to help you both understand how the other person feels. Explain to your daughter that you’re concerned for her, and that while you understand being in a relationship is very exciting, it’s not wise to allow a relationship to take over one’s life. If staying up all night on the phone is causing her to be too tired to go to work or help out at home during the day, that is a problem, so lovingly discuss that with her. If you have made a bigger deal than you should have made about the situation, ask her forgiveness during your discussion. Tell her that you want her to feel like she can share things with you, then make a sincere effort to not judge her or give her advice unless she asks. Just listen to her. Listen to her tell you why she likes her boyfriend, let her tell you about what she sees in him, and love her as she explains to you what she wants in a future spouse. If your daughter isn’t ready to talk, respect that too, and let her know that the door is open whenever she’s ready to share that part of her life with you.
Q. Dear Rachel,
Q. I love your magazine!!! I have a question. We left our church and I don’t like the one we are going to right now. There are only about 5 kids; none of them are my age. And the congregation is mostly elderly people. How should I tell my mom I don’t like it? Thanks!!!
Q. Dear Rachel,
The issue is never the issue. In this case, it seems to be that good guys are not attracted to you, but the real issue is that you are not attracted to the good guys who are attracted to you. And isn’t that how relationships are
There are guys out there that have their heads in the clouds, and there are some who have their heads in the sand. As funny as it might sound, these are the guys that girls seem to notice initially. The first guy is mysterious and romantic; the other is like a lost puppy begging for someone to take care of him
The Bible is here, and it has been here for literally thousands of years. That it is an ancient and highly regarded book, no one can deny. But is it written by intelligence higher and greater than man? How did the Bible get here? How did it come to be? That is the question at issue. Christians believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, that it is a revelation of the mind and will of the Creator Himself, that it was written by inspiration of God and is, therefore, without mistake or error (inerrant and infallible).
A. THE CLAIMS OF THE BIBLE ITSELF. The Bible directly, expressly, and clearly claims to be the Word of God in numerous places (see, for example, such passages as 
The apostles claimed to be speaking, preaching, teaching, and writing that which came by direct revelation from God, the commandments of the Lord, and that what they wrote was scripture! This was, in fact, exactly what Jesus had promised them, that the Holy Spirit would guide them into remembrance of what Jesus said, and into all truth (
One must deal with the fact that the writers of the Bible specifically stated their writings came by revelation from God. For the believer, this is no difficulty at all. On the other hand, if one does not believe in God, then he must explain how the Bible came to be. If it is not from God, then who wrote it? And if it is not from God, why did all the writers claim it was? Were they all mistaken, or were they deliberate liars?
It’s time for school to start again. No more time for sleeping in and having all day to procrastinate on projects. We will begin to focus much of our minds on getting supplies, finishing up our summer work, and getting new clothes (which really isn’t bad…). We’ll be overtaken with getting everything ready, eventually starting school, and doing the homework from the early “starting” days of school that our teachers will probably give to us.
I went to the Dollar General store and got a girl’s backpack (they only had girls’, no neutral), thirty eraser caps, twelve colored pencils, six mechanical pencils, a portable pencil sharpener, two folders, and glue. The most expensive thing I bought was the backpack. I spent about $9 total on this project. That’s pretty good, especially considering how much we tend to spend on our own school supplies. I also looked around my house for things that I knew I would never use. For example, unsharpened wooden pencils. If you have any loose-leaf paper at home, you can take that too. I took the supplies to the local primary school and said that I’d like to donate the backpack and everything in it to the school to be given to a child who needed it. You might want to call a school in your area and ask them if they accept donations.
According to Matthew 6:3-4, we are commanded to give to the poor, without announcing to everyone what we are doing. “But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” We can help others more than we know. We need to consider others to be as important as ourselves. God has given us time, and we need to give some of that back to Him, and use that time to show others who He is.
My freshman year was one of the hardest times in my life. I moved to a different city, away from all of my friends, including my two best friends. I started attending a public high school after being home schooled for two years, and I was having a rough time with other things in my life as well. I made friends, but only two of them really understood my heart. One of them was Seth. Seth was a grade below me and in a different school, but we rode the same bus. He always sat directly behind me and would ask how I was doing. He could tell the minute he walked on the bus if I was having a bad day. He always knew instinctively what would make me feel better, whether it was leaving me alone, telling me jokes until I had to laugh, or listening to me tell him about my bad day.
There are so many people around us every day who need to know about God. The girl who wears the mini skirts and belly shirts is begging to be loved. She doesn’t know that what she’s missing is God’s love. The guy who makes mean jokes in order to feel superior needs to know the God who is King 
Many of us want to be well known at school and to have something we stand for. This school year, let’s stand for Christ. Let’s learn about Him so we can be an example to others around us. The best way to begin sharing Him with others is to learn about His love by studying His word. We can’t tell others what we don’t know ourselves. We can read our Bibles first thing in the morning, on the bus, in the car, during study hall, at the lunch table, after school, before dinner, after dinner, or before bed. Sometimes we’ll be tempted to say, “I’d love to read my Bible, but I just don’t have time.” I know that excuse, because it’s an excuse I’ve used myself. Something I’ve learned, though, is that if I’m too busy for God, then I’m just too busy! Make time. This six-month New Testament plan takes only ten minutes a day to follow, and if we don’t have ten minutes a day for God, then something needs to change. Let’s look critically at our schedule and see if there’s something we can drop. Maybe we only need to work three days a week instead of five, or we could choose our favorite sport to participate in instead of continuing with several sports. Maybe we should just watch one favorite show per evening instead of several shows that are just okay. If you’re the girl who spends two hours getting ready for school every morning, look at your beauty routine, and your heart, and consider changing something in the routine to allow a few minutes for God each morning. This school year, let’s make a statement by saturating our minds and hearts with God’s word so we can let His love shine through us, allowing us to be a living Christian example to everyone around.
School is right around the corner, and a new way of everyday life is approaching! Once again, we’ll be getting up early in the morning for school and going to bed late because of homework and practices. We’ll be fixing our hair and actually paying attention to the clothes we put on in the morning. With the school routine coming back to life, some other things are also changing, such as how many lives we touch in one day and how many people are watching us.
Let’s make a statement at school by letting others know that we are saving your body for our future husband 
My good friend and preacher’s wife Dana told me about what she likes to call “God smiles.” She explained that a God smile is a small blessing from God, such as the closest parking space being available when it’s raining outside, or finding an item in the first place we look. A God smile is something small God does for us, just to remind us He cares.
Fast forward to right after my meeting . . . I was very emotional; I felt tense, relieved, and stressed all at the same time. Our American Idol CD had been playing on shuffle in the car on the way to the meeting. On the way home, a Brooke White (my favorite contestant) song came on, and I listened to it, still tense. Then another Brooke White song came on. Then another; each Brooke White song came on, in a row, until I was calm and relaxed, mellowed by her music. After each of her songs had played, the CD randomly went to other artists, continuing the shuffle. By that time, I was relaxed enough to enjoy the other artists’ music, and to praise God for helping the meeting to go as well as I had been hoping. God knew that as I was leaving my meeting I needed Brooke White’s music to help relax me, and He delivered!
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