GenReal

We are focused on inspiring women of faith to genuinely influence girls who are real. We are GenReal.

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Check out our brand new Tumblr!

To all our dear followers, visit the new GenReal blog page at https://genreal.tumblr.com/!

Please follow us there and share our blogs as we prepare for our mission of connecting genuine women of faith with girls who want to know REAL.

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GenReal Unveil PreEvent Event

Click here to register for this free event!

Attention! Ladies of all ages from 13-113!

You’re invited!

Come to this Pre-Event Event: GenReal “Unveil” is your chance to get a taste of the FULL GenReal Event coming October 2017 to Epsom Bible Church in Epsom, NH. Same day registration begins at 6:00 PM but you can register now. Take a look! More Information: Hear songs from the Quebec GenReal Band Worship through drama, music, and prayer Who should come: Teens, Moms and Daughters, Grandmothers, Mentors, all women of all ages Speakers: Ellen Garland, Women’s Ministry from Epsom Bible Church Hayley Milller, Women's Minister at Olathe Bible Church Attendance will give you advance ticket prices for the October GenReal event (while they last!) There is NO charge but you do need to register for this event. Organizers will be collecting a Love gift during the evening.

Reserve your seat now by clicking here. What are you waiting for? Visit wearegenreal.org/events to see all upcoming GenReal events in your area.

We can't wait to see you there!

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Choose FLORIDA next weekend or NEW YORK the end of May!  Imagine sitting side by side - Moms & Daughters or Discipler with Disciplee - laughing, learning and growing so much it sticks after the event! Grandmas, were' looking to see you there too! Register at: genreal.wol.org

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SERIOUSLY, this is an AMAZING GIRL'S WEEKEND OUT!  (And we're just saying, hint, hint, Mother's Day Weekend! Guys, be a hero!)

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OHIO this weekend ... BUT NEW YORK we will be joining you at Pine Knolls Alliance!  LOVED THIS! AND ... we're not forgetting you FLORIDA on Mother's Day Weekend!  NOW THERE'S a gift idea!!!  genreal.wol.org

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GRANDMAS and MOMS!  We talked to a BUNCH of you yesterday and we LOVED your response!  Imagine a conference where you arrive with your grand-daughter (or daughter), deal with the issues she faces TODAY and leave ready to face her world, WITH HER!

Your teen should NEVER feel alone; never feel like she has to battle against things without anyone knowing, never feel there is no hope or help!

But now, YOU'LL have ammunition to fight off the enemy! 

Together, MOMS, AUNTS, GRANDMAS, SMALL GROUP LEADERS ... we'll learn how to deal with difficult topics girls face!  THEY will learn how to ask you for help!  BOTH OF YOU WILL LEARN you don't need to faint through that process! 

AN all girls band, energized live dramas, more chocolate than you'll know what to do with, a full concert, pampered by a high tea, interaction with others facing the same issues and applying the Word together, AND did we mention chocolate?!!  We are doing all kinds of Pinterest projects, enjoying a coffee bistro, lunch (Ohio) - brunch (Florida and NY) leaving ready for genuine real life change.  Not just your teen - LADIES ALL OF US!

OHIO you can still register!! 

FLORIDA and NY it's right around the corner! 

genreal.wol.org

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Planning, preparing, praying for an upcoming weekend (April 4-5th) of life change for teen girls and those who influence them.

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Looking for you!  We're at Portsmouth, NH at the SOAR conference!  Swing by our table to visit!

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Trust ... Who?

We’ve got trust issues.

How hard is it for you to believe a promise? 

Do you mentally grade the likelihood of someone keeping their promise when it’s spoken to you? 

Likely!

Unlikely, but somewhat possible.

Not gonna happen!

NOPE!  You don’t even know what a promise is!

Our world moves quickly. Opportunities galore keep us so busy they actually smother OUR opportunity to “keep” every promise WE even make.  Caught up in the moment, WE often forget what we promised.  It happens to the best of us. 

But broken promises haunt!  They break down our strong foundations; they cause doubt.   Doubts are sneaky.  Broken promises are deadly. 

SO … who will you trust? 

Maybe it’s our “moment” to connect to the only ONE who will never go back on His promises. 

Turn a trust issue to a trust opportunity. 

You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed.  Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.  Joshua 23:14

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The Woman Behind the Iron Man!

We all love the superhero movies that are out there. We are still waiting to see Thor 2 as soon as we can.

We’re sure that you’ve probably seen the Iron Man movies if you like that kind of genre.  As women, we are always drawn to the females in the story.

So, have you noticed the character, Pepper Potts? She is a character worth knowing and liking. Here is a description of her character, not only from the movies, but from the original comic books.

  Pepper Potts got her start at Stark International as a secretary. She became known by her affectionate nickname Pepper due to her freckled complexion. While doing her job she fixed an accounting mistake made by Anthony "Tony" Stark, CEO of Stark International. This came to his attention, and Stark promoted Pepper to executive assistant. She would soon prove herself an invaluable asset to him numerous times, and would display a business acumen and instincts to rival his own. Often, she would run the affairs of the business in Stark's absence.

  What we love about this character (other than she is a red head) is that she is this strong female character that knows how to do two things very well.

  She knows how to lead. And she knows how to follow.

  Here’s something to think about. 

  He went on to tell a story to the guests around the table. Noticing how each had tried to elbow into the place of honor, he said, “When someone invites you to dinner, don’t take the place of honor. Somebody more important than you might have been invited by the host. Then he’ll come and call out in front of everybody, ‘You’re in the wrong place. The place of honor belongs to this man.’ Red-faced, you’ll have to make your way to the very last table, the only place left.  Luke 14:7-8 (The Message)

  Most of us will not ALWAYS be in the place of honor; though, if truth were really known, secretly we want to be. 

  There will be days that you will be on your game, and many of you will have a leadership position amongst your friends, in school or in your youth group.  God’s gifted you, and you are using that for His glory. 

  But there will be others days that you will need to be under someone else’s leadership position; and this is where the bottom can fall out. 

  Discern the different times you distinctively have been called to lead, but also the distinct times you have been asked to follow.  Then do those with distinct excellence. 

  Know the ebb and flow of this concept.  When you’re at a class meeting, if you’re the President, stand up and lead.  You’re in an honored position. (NOTE:  honored to serve others.)  In principle you’re in a “higher position” and others are in essence in a “lower position.”   It’s gotta be that way;  or you will all sit one on top of another in one chair, stacked up like Jenga.  AWKWARD!  Everyone can’t sit in the high place and the low place all at the same time. 

  As a class officer you may be in the seat of honor, but as a lab partner, you may not, especially if you’ve been paired with the smartest kid in the class.  Just follow his/her leadership.  Take your right seat, and do it with excellence.    

  In band, there’s a first chair for each instrumental section.  What if you’re in that dreaded second chair? Learn to do it with excellence, backing the first chair and pushing all those who come behind you to the next level of excellence.  Sometimes you just have to own that second chair! 

  There are distinctions in life and in positions.  We challenge you to know them. 

  Martin Luther once penned thoughts about the importance of correctly understanding Luke 14:7-8.   Christ is saying there are higher positions at times than others.  If you’ve got one, it is only from God.  Meanwhile, don’t make the mistake of bragging about it and lording it over others as if you were better than them.   Serve others. 

  The tricky part is our nature always wants what we always want.  Our flesh, always wants to be in the place of honor.  REALITY – you won’t, neither will I.  So don’t bank on that, or fuss and pout when you’re not.  Learn to be on the “low side” of life without a poor attitude.  Learn to empower others, while you’re sitting in that “second chair.” 

  Point of Decision:  I need to quit always wanting the spot light.  Not everyone can lead at every moment, its’ awkward.  I’ll learn the distinction between positions.  And sometimes my position is to back someone else when they’re in a seat of honor and to do that with skill making them successful.   Just call me “Pepper.”

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Valentine's Creative Gift Idea

It’s Valentine’s Day and you haven’t gotten something for your daughter yet!? PANIC MOMENT

Resist the urge to run to the corner pharmacy to get some stuffed animal that will be in the trash next year or a balloon that will deflate in a couple of days!

Ok, you can grab a rose or a box of chocolates. What girl doesn’t like that? ;)

But would you consider a creative Valentine’s Day gift for a mom and daughter to attend a genreal conference together? Spend a Friday night and Saturday spending quality time in God’s Word while having a blast! It’s a real girls get-a-away!

It’s as easy as:

Go to www.genreal.wol.org

Choose your location

Register!  

Print the confirmation out and put it in a box wrapped!

It’s so easy and you didn’t even have to leave the house. We will see you there and we can promise to have chocolate and flowers on your special weekend.

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Dove: Selfie's and Faith

We are sure that you have seen the Dove series of videos… we at genreal have been watching them for quite some time now.  If you’ve seen them, you’ve been touched by them as they catch a cry from our hearts.  We watch them and nod in agreement.   

We applaud Dove as they are accurately identifying a very serious issue amongst women. Women struggle with self-image and insecurity in major ways. It can start in childhood. I was teased for being a red head, considered "big boned", etc. We all have a story to tell - whether it was thick glasses, "wrong" skin color, nappy hair, acne, etc.

If you’re curious, go back and look into the eyes of the girls and women on this video and you will see Dove identifies a very real problem.  To look at yourself as beautiful is a deep desire engraved in our hearts, but in reality we come up short.  It leaves a void and an ache in our core.  Watch it and you’ll see this issue follows and haunts women of all ages.

While Dove is great at the identification of the problem, their answer is the best that they can come up with. They see the need: women feel insecure about their looks. Therefore the answer is: help them to see their beauty. Help them to redefine the cultural standards of beauty. This is a logical approach to the problem. 

If you don’t know Christ.

Truthfully, if a woman feels ugly, have you ever been able to truly convince her that she is not? Other than a momentary compliment that yields momentary relief or pleasure, it’s really hard to convince her (or yourself) “I’m beautiful.”  Even the most gorgeous women never seem to solidify that thought in their minds. A woman has to then live to attain the next compliment, because inwardly, the feeling of insecurity has not really been uprooted.

Dove has become a symbol of beauty.  We identify with the marketing, and they have pointed out for us what the problem is. But genreal would like to propose a symbol that deals with the core of our insecurities and offers true and lasting beauty - that symbol is the cross.

If your focus is on beauty, if we want real change, then we must go to the cross - every time the insecurity arises. Culture is doing the best that they can to rectify a very real problem. But as believers, we must identify the problem and go to the cross for the answers.

You know what scripture says?  We are actually uglier than what we think. 

We say our beauty is not skin deep? If so, then we have a major problem because who we are on the inside is worse than what we fear we might be on the outside. My best is my outward, red headed, big boned appearance - that's my best side. Inwardly, it's ugly…"The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?" Jeremiah 17:9 (NLT)

What would your selfie look like if you could take a picture of your core?

I know- you are saying, “How does that help!?”  It doesn’t if you end there. BUT we must come face to face with the truth of our heart or we have to keep living for the next compliment, adoration, inspirational video or pin to feel secure. When we understand this, we know that we need outside help. Not just taking a selfie to make myself feel better about myself. It won't fix the insecurity at the core. I need outside help - because I am a wreck. Dealing with who we are inwardly, will affect everything. It affects our insecurities and it even affects our outward beauty.

When we recognize that we need outside help, we turn to the cross - to deal with our internal ugly that will affect everything (even our outward beauty.) And you know what we find? Security, acceptance, and value.  

We all have ugly. Christ died for the ugly (I am talking our ugly, inward character - we have faults, moments of melt downs, and moments we regret.)

God is beauty. He is everything good in its infinite degree. He wants a relationship with ugly me. But he can’t just mix ultimate beauty with ugly - it doesn’t work.

So He sent his son, Jesus Christ to be the ultimate Dove. Christ's sacrifice and death on the cross made it possible for me to be washed clean of my ugly, and even given a new character - His character. The moment that I received Christ as my Savior (in recognition of my need of outside help), He not only washed me of my ugly, but he also gave me a new beauty.   Not my personal inward beauty - I don’t need more of me. He gave me His beauty - I need more of Him. That's the answer.

And what is the result? Security, identity, safety - BEAUTY from the inside out.

Ephesians 1

3All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. 4Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. 6So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.b7He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. 8He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.

9God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure. 10And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. 11Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God,c for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.

12God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God. 13And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his ownd by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. 14The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.

Insecurity can be used to identify a need… to identify the need of outside help.

When we turn to Christ for this outside help, he washes us clean from our sin. He gives us a new character. This is what Christ died and rose again for. His death cleanses, his resurrection gives us new life.

Still insecure? Still needing a selfie fix?

Look again to Ephesians 1. Did you see the underlined items? Rehearse these truths. Shift your thoughts to them. There is no greater security that we can gain than to find it outside of ourselves.

We’ve really got to answer this.  Is it about people seeing the real me or am I actually supposed to be hidden in Christ?  My new identity is all about being identified as His!   

Dove and scripture would identify the same problem in women. They would have the same desire - for women to not live insecure, but to live confidently. But the approach Dove takes to get to confidence is different than Scripture. Dove says to look within self for confidence. Scripture would say, that self has no confidence to offer, but Christ does.

Our challenge to the girl who is insecure? Consider the cross and all it offers instead of another selfie.

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Sometimes You Gotta Stay Home

With all of the chatter about the Grammies and it soon fading away, we wanted to highlight a positive example to us. Mandisa was nominated again for a Grammy and this year, she won! But she was not there to receive the reward. No, it was not due to a schedule conflict. It was a decisive choice. She stayed home not because of the Grammies and how terrible they are. She did not place any blame anywhere but took ownership of her weaknesses and identified what she can and cannot handle. Oh, that we would all exercise such sacrificial and practical wisdom in our walk with God.

Below is an excerpt from her blog explaining why she stayed home.

Yes, both times I have gone to the Grammys I have witnessed performances I wish I could erase from my memory, and yes, I fast forwarded through several performances this year; but my reason is not because of them, it’s because of me.  I have been struggling with being in the world, not of it lately. I have fallen prey to the alluring pull of flesh, pride, and selfish desires quite a bit recently.

“Don’t fall in love with this corrupt world or worship the things it can offer. Those who love its corrupt ways don’t have the Father’s love living within them. All the things the world can offer to you—the allure of pleasure, the passion to have things, and the pompous sense of superiority—do not come from the Father…” 1 John 2:15-16a (The Voice)

I knew that submerging myself into an environment that celebrates those things was risky for me at this time. I am taking steps to renew my mind to become the Heavenly Father-centered, completely satisfied with Jesus, and Holy Spirit-led woman I felt I was a few months ago, but I’m feeling a bit like an infant learning to walk again on shaky legs. Perhaps being alone with Him as my name was announced was protecting myself from where my flesh would have tried to drag me had I been up on that stage. It gave me time to focus. With what I do for a living, and the doors that have opened for me to sing about Jesus on mainstream platforms, I take the phrase from John 15:19, “be in the world, not of it” seriously. God never taught us to stay in our safe Christian bubbles, completely separating from those who do not share our faith (see 1 Corinthians 5). After all, how else will people come to know Him, if not by His children? We must live, look, and speak differently so that we shine (see Matthew 5, Philippians 2, and 1 Peter 3)! I can’t force my morality on anyone else. What I can do is live my life in such a way that reflects well on my Savior, stand firm in my values, and do all of these things in love.  If God can use this Grammy win to advance His Kingdom, I’m all in!

So yeah, should I ever be nominated again, and I’m feeling up to it, I’ll go. I recognize that I may feel a bit like an alien in a strange land, but Jesus, friend of sinners, felt that way and still managed to shine…by His Holy Spirit, so can I! Plus, I can’t lie…it’d be pretty cool to see Ryan Seacrest on the Red Carpet now! 

As for the Grammy Award, I know I keep saying it, but “whose life is this?!?!” “Overcomer” is an album that speaks life, hope, and encouragement to so many, yes, including me. While this affirmation feels unbelievable, I lay this trophy at the feet of my Jesus in humility, honor and gratitude for all He has done in, to, and through me.

“You, dear children,are from God and have overcome them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4 (NIV)

Would we be willing to stay home so that we do not put ourselves in a situation that feeds our flesh, our weakness, and sinful tendencies? Would we be willing to count the cost?  The choice in front of you may not be a bad choice, but if it is risking us to go back to our flesh or sinful tendency, know when to stay home. If you are using the Word of Life Quiet Time Journal then you would know that this is a great example of application from the passage that we all read today. At genreal, we are really enjoying our study in 1 John as we work through the devotional together.

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Creation or Evolution?

We know that you face this dilemma every day in school. We highly recommend tuning in tomorrow night to hear two great minds debate it out! Watch it tomorrow night at 7pm EST

http://debatelive.org/

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Words From a Father to His Daughter (From the Makeup Aisle)

Dear Little One, As I write this, I’m sitting in the makeup aisle of our local Target store. A friend recently texted me from a different makeup aisle and told me it felt like one of the most oppre...

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This conference is for YOU!!  Get it on your calendar!  Better yet, get your tickets! genreal.wol.org

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Cruella, Cruella De Vil (Part 2)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcdQk7JBPzQ

If she doesn't scare you, no evil thing will…

Miserable, she was perfectly wretched …

  She doesn’t scare me, but something does scare me about myself that Cruella probably feared as well.  How long will I be miserable?

It’s miserable to be miserable.  Bummer is, sometimes I choose it and sometimes I choose to stay in it.  I settle in miserable when I don’t deal with my sin.  I hate that feeling. 

It’s an internal conflict when I know (yeah, I know), I need to deal with something that I would rather ignore, but God won’t let me. 

The weird thing is, I’m miserable, because He’s loving.  He knows, “IF we don’t walk through this together, you’ll just repeat this sin over and over again.  THEN you’ll really be miserable.”  Revelation 3:19 says, I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference (NLT).  It really means - take seriously the correction of God, because He seriously loves you! 

We understand this on a human level.  A good dad is involved.  He loves, he guides, he instructs and when we get out of line, he corrects.  He’s a good dad.  (You’re past junior high if you’ve learned to appreciate that!)

It’s easy to respond to God’s grace; it can feel devastating to respond to God’s discipline.  It devastates our pride, our plastic approach to life, OUR goals, sometimes our idols, and always our self-worth. It seems impossible and unmanageable.  It is humiliating, but even worse, it feels like humiliation. 

It stops me in my tracks to realize that God understands how hard it is to deal with our sin; thus He steps in to coach us.  With tenderness He asks us to approach our sin with a broken and contrite heart (Psalm 51:17).  As we choose this, we get a response from God.  He does not despise us when we come to Him with our sin - follow me with this - He respects, cherishes, and loves the one who goes there.  (Antonym for despise.)  THAT IS AMAZING!

This is not the day to reject the discipline from God that changes our next week.  Miss it today and you have delayed the mighty grace of God over that very issue that haunts you. If you respond today, next week, it is history.  If you resist, history only repeats itself, but at a much greater cost.

Proverbs 15:31-33, The ear that listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise.  Whoever ignores instruction despises himself, but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence.  The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom and humility comes before honor.

Discipline is all about love.

Discipline is all about obedience.

Discipline is all about humiliation.

Discipline is all about trust.

Discipline is all about personal holiness.

Discipline is all about the hard choice.

Discipline is all about growing in wisdom.

Discipline is all about the journey. It is forward motion towards God, not from Him.

At the intersection of love and discipline, we have no control over how others will respond to our forward motion.

Know this; chances are when we deal with sin, others will feel uncomfortable.  It’s weird but true.  People will get awkward when you’re trying to walk through your sin.  They might discourage your attempts to face it.  It’s often convicting when you see someone else responding practically to God. So it might throw them.  We simply have to respond in faith believing that God’s way, outweighs our fear or someone else's thoughts which could sidetrack us.  Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6).   

We’ve always got to be on guard about personal compromises.    We could try to walk the path of restoration our way.  We could make excuses even based on the hurt we think we’ll cause others, if we go there.  We can save face but lose.  Win, but not have won.    

God loves us too much to allow us to persist in being ourselves, unchecked and without growth.  It’s a poor choice when we insist that God not interfere.   The moment we come to the end of ourselves, in reality we have just begun!  That is God’s grace.

Hosea 6:1, Come, let us return to the Lord; for He has torn us, that He may heal us; He has struck us down, and He will bind us up.

The tough phone call that I knew I had to make went well.  But I have walked where consequences are miserable before I could see that the end result was profitable.  The thing is, NOW it’s done.  It was humiliating.  BUT Sunday is now history. I am free. 

Point of Decision:

Do you look over your shoulder, hoping no one will ever know this (______________ you fill in the blank) about you?

Is there something that you are still resisting God on?

Are you actually telling God, “NO,” I’m not going there? 

Are you still trying to hold on to a shred of self-preservation in order not to sense embarrassment or humiliation? 

Are you scared to be this vulnerable?

Are you trying to control the outcome rather than walking through the consequences?

Will you claim that the TRUTH will set you free?! 

TODAY:

Make the phone call.  Tell the person. Take the step.  Face the music.  NOW, would be perfect! Yeah, I’m talking even if it happened a decade ago!

Find a GODLY person to empower you to deal WITH the sin of the past, not excuse it for present actions of service and zeal. 

Will you deal with your sin?  THEN, will you empower others to do the same?  It is time to live past, “I’m bummed I got caught” to “I’m broken and humiliated at what I did to the Name of Chris,t” but ________________ (another strong believer) will help me walk through this. 

Oh and by the way, this is not a onetime action.   

My scars are not gone, but now they can be healed and I can be set free.