I have wonderful news! Many of you have been asking, “When will the Beauty by The Book for Teens Bible study be ready?”  Well, I’m thrilled to tell you that we are SOOOO close to having this study ready for you and the teens in your life. How close? Take a look at the graphic below and see for yourself:

Isn’t that exciting?! We are now in the final fund-raising stage for Beauty by The Book for Teens (as a non-profit entity, Priority Ministries raises funds to produce all of our studies). And we’re soooo close to the $70,000 needed to complete production of this study. Whoo-hoo and hallelujah!

With all of my heart, I believe Beauty by The Book for Teens is the most important Bible study I’ve ever written, and you’ll see why on this 60-second video promo:

Want to help us teach teen girls the truth about beauty – the truth as in God’s definition of beauty?  There’s still time for you to be a part of helping us produce Beauty by The Book for Teens. Here are two major ways you can help:

1. Pray. Ask God to provide the remaining funds needed to produce Beauty by The Book for Teens.  
2. Give.  Your gift of any size will help us reach our goal of $70,000, AND you can donate online right now.

Thanks so much for your prayers and support! And to all of you glo girls who have already been praying fervently and giving generously to the Beauty by The Book for Teens project, thank you, thank you, thank you!  I can hardly wait for the moment when I can finally tell you that this study is ready, but until then:

Waiting, hoping, and trusting in the Lord because, after all, Beauty by The Book for Teens was His idea from the very start . . .

Your sister,

Email Laurie

Priority Ministries is a 501(C)3 non-profit organization.
All gifts received are tax-deductible as a charitable contribution.

Registration is now open for Priority Ministries’ first annual Glo Girl Conference! This two-day event combines dynamic teaching with moving music for an inspirational weekend of spiritual growth designed specifically for women and teens ages 13 and up.

The conference will be held at Sagemont Church in Houston, Texas, on Friday evening, Sept. 23, and Saturday morning, Sept. 24, and tickets are only $30 per person!

Conference speakers include Priority Ministries’ own Laurie Cole and Jan Silvious, author of Big Girls Don't Whine. Topics will include "Growing Up: Becoming a Real Disciple" and "Growing Up: Becoming a Big Girl." Music will be provided by Bill Cole and the Sagemont Praise Team, with special music by Lisa Pierre.

Click here to sign up today, and get ready to glo and grow in September!

Behind the Scenes

(l-r) Shanda, Pam, Stephanie, Mary, Emily, Laurie

Just a couple of weeks after moving into her brand new home, Laurie pushed aside the moving boxes to host Priority’s April staff meeting in her new kitchen!  It’s the first room she rushed to get unpacked and fully functional, and we were her very first guests! What fun we had discussing, planning and praying for all of you! (And eating, of course!)

Close Only Counts...
by Emily Ryan, Executive Editor 

A few years ago I was sitting on the second row at church when a family came in and sat in front of me. There were four adults and one baby girl, and it looked as if the adults were the child’s parents, her grandmother, and her aunt.

They arrived about fifteen minutes late and left about fifteen minutes early, and for the short time that they were there, I watched in amazement as all four adults spent the entire time fussing over the baby.

The Big Fuss began the moment that they sat down.  Mom handed Baby to Grandma so she could get something from the (Mary Poppins/false bottom/endless contents) Diaper Bag. First came the bottle, then the formula, then the matching burp rag and bib. Baby got passed down to Daddy who held her while Grandma got the bottle ready. Then Baby and bottle both got passed to Mommy who tried to feed her.

Baby was not interested.

Back went the bottle, the burp rag and the bib, and out came the pacifier. Mommy gave Baby to Auntie and began rummaging in the Diaper Bag, for Important Item. She dug and dug, searching for Important Item that she had to have Now. After pulling out everything from diapers to clothes to Baby’s first tricycle, Important Item was finally found.

A hair clip.

The Big Fuss continued for several more minutes with Mommy, Daddy, Grandma and Auntie all fiddling with Baby until Mommy unveiled the final item from the Diaper Bag: fingernail clippers. And then she proceeded to clip Baby’s fingernails right there on the front row. I was all set to lean down and say (in Christian love, of course), “Seriously? You can’t find a better time to trim your child’s fingernails?!” when they gathered up Baby and Diaper Bag and left.

I couldn’t help but wonder why the family even came to church in the first place that day. Of course I’ve been in church with my children before and I know how distracting it can be, but in this case, it was the adults who were being high maintenance! The little girl seemed more disturbed than comforted by The Big Fuss.

The adults were so close to hearing a word from God that day. They were in the right place at the right time with the right message being taught. They just chose to be distracted instead.

Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon to be so close to Christ and still miss out on Him and His best for our lives. The Bible is full of people who were so close. Consider these familiar stories:

The Rich Young Ruler – He asked the right question to the right person and received the right answer. The problem was that he was rich and couldn’t imagine that life could be better without all of his stuff. He was so close to eternal life, but chose materialism instead. (Luke 18:18-23)

Ananias and Sapphira – At first, they appeared to be very generous, selling their land and giving the proceeds to the disciples. The problem was that they kept some of the money for themselves and lied about it. They were so close to generosity, but chose deceit instead. (Acts 5:1-10)

The Churches in Pergamum and Thyatira – They were loyal to Christ, faithful in service, and genuine in love. However, they allowed inaccurate teaching from false prophets like Jezebel and the Nicolaitans. They were so close to truth, but chose tolerance instead. (Revelation 2:12-29)

The Disciples – In the garden of Gethsemane, just before Judas betrayed Jesus, He asked them to pray for Him. The only problem was that they couldn’t stay awake.  They were so close to prayer, but chose sleep instead. (Matthew 26:36-46)

In Christianity, it’s our actions that matter, not our intentions, so being close doesn’t count.  Do you have good intentions? Are you close to obeying God? Consider how you can transform those intentions into actions and pray for clarity to know the difference.

I’ve often heard it said that “Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.” While I don’t know if that’s true or not, I do know that I don’t want to stand before our Lord one day and hear Him say, “My child, you were so close…”

Emily

Click here to email Emily

Priority Prayer Points
by Nancy Campbell, Prayer Director

	Keep the spirit of Mother’s Day going. Praise God for moms and motherhood, and pray for God’s strength and blessing for the moms in your life. Pray that God’s provisions will allow us to turn “so close” into “finished!” with Beauty by the Book for Teens! Continue to pray for the behind-the-scenes preparations for the Glo Girl Conference in September. Pray for God to begin moving in the hearts of the attendees even now.
Do you have a prayer or praise? Share them with Nancy Campbell, Priority’s Prayer Director, and let the Priority staff join with you in prayer. Email your request to Nancy

Gotta Glo

Your Priority sisters,

Laurie Cole, Pam Henderson, Shanda Stiles, Jan Hart,
Stephanie Cole, Nancy Campbell, Emily Ryan, and Mary Burnett
Priority Ministries Staff