Powerline for Parents of Teens

Valerie here: I have a guest for my post this month. I'm sure you'll enjoy what she's got to say for several reasons. Most especially if you're a parent of teens. Or if you like to read. Or if you are curious about crowdfunding campaigns. Got your interest?

Nicole O'Dell is the founder of Choose NOW Ministries, bringing a message of hope for today's families through daily articles, weekly radio shows, and the printed word. A mother of six herself, she has authored 23 books for parents and teens, both fiction and nonfiction, all with the goal of helping the reader make good choices NOW.

Welcome Nicole, can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Well other than the official bio stuff like you listed above, I'm a mom of six: five-year-old triplets, two teenage girls, and a son serving in the US Air Force. I'm also married to an artsy musician guy who can draw portraits that would blow your mind. Oh, about me? Um...I like to write and I do two podcasts, Parent Talk and Teen Talk (www.choosenowradio.com). I have a heart for the parent-teen relationship and just about everything I touch is from a place of desire to be used by God in that arena.

Why? What is it about the parent-teen relationship that gets to you?

Well, it's mainly borne out of a desire to help families avoid the angst I experienced as a teen and that I see so many, if not most, families suffer. I believe that our enemy turns up the heat when our kids hit middle school because he knows that they have a choice to make. Follow Jesus or not? And if he can drive a wedge between them and their parents, begin a separation at home and at church, then his job is so easy.

So I work with parents and teens to avoid that division. It takes a lot of work to arm families with the information and the tools they need to really be on the attack. We can't just lie back and wait, hoping to ward off the onslaught--we have to go on the offense.

How? How are you doing that right now?

I, along with my team at Choose NOW Publishing, have just launched an incredible set of resources for parents that meets them right in the heart of their need. When I talk with parents, I get asked desperate questions like these:

• How can I keep my kids grounded in the faith?
• What if I lose connection with my teenagers?
• How have you managed to keep such a wonderful relationship with your teens?
• How can I stop just trying make it through and actually enjoy my kids?
• How can I make this a positive time in our relationship and in my teen's faith walk?
• How do I help my teenagers know Jesus for real?
• What if they never do?

As I re-read that list, I can envision the countless parents who have asked me those questions with desperation in their eyes. They want answers and concrete steps to take to make a difference in their teens' lives.



Powerline365
Plugging Parents of Teens into the Source

Powerline365 is a high-voltage, multi-format daily devotional to help parents raise Christian teens without losing connection.

Tap into the power you need to lead your teens into a vibrant personal relationship with Jesus. Many teens, even those from Christian homes, fail to connect with Him on a personal level. They forge on alone, searching for identity as the enemy pelts them with temptations and doubts. As parents, we’re left reeling, wondering where we went wrong.

Powerline365 offers daily insight to ground you in truth as you plug into the Source. It's time for you to power-parent from a place of confidence and surrender, believing God's Word is true, and His promises will never go unfulfilled.

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within [your teenager], will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. (Philippians 1:6, NLT)

What? What is crowdfunding and why are you doing it?

Crowdfunding is a super-risky, but potentially awesome way to make products available to the public. It pools the resources of the people who are most interested in either owning or supporting the development of a new idea or work. In this case, it would be the user of Powerline365 or those who believe in the project and want to support the raising up of a godly generation of teens who would fund--or buy in--at various levels based on what they'd like to own or gift to someone else.

The best way for you to see what I mean is to pop over to the campaign site and see what's what. Just visit www.powerline365.com when you're done here.

The coolest thing about this project is the multi-format, multi-use approach we've taken to make it easily accessible to you in whatever way best suits your needs. And the best part is that we're currently engaged in an indiegogo campaign to fund this project. Which means EARLY ACCESS for you! And by early, I mean you can have this material in your hands in TWO DAYS! Yes, no matter where in the world you live.

Would you pop over to our campaign page and see what we have going on? There's a lot of great opportunity and interesting things you'll only have access to through this campaign. Plus it's the ONLY way to get ahold of these resources now, in time for 2014.



GIVEAWAY: All who participate in the campaign and leave a comment here will be entered to win a Spark30 email devotional subscription. We'll give away one for every ten participants. This can also be gifted!

Also, I want to let you know about our NEW YEAR'S EVE special! ONLY for those who participate in the campaign at any level today or tomorrow (12/30 or 12/31) until midnight Central, you'll be invited to submit a personal question for a supplementary Q&A book that will release this Spring. So, please join us in making these awesome resources available for parents of teenagers.

My heartfelt prayer is that you'll find victory in your relationship with your teens as you lead them to good choices and a strong faith in Jesus.

Wow, thanks Nicole! This sounds like a resource I wish I'd had when my kids were teens. I'm looking forward to gifting the parents of the kids in my church's youth group with a subscription to Powerline365.

How about the rest of my ICFW friends around the globe? Do you have teens or know someone who does? Please consider participating in this campaign and making a difference for the next generation.

Valerie Comer's life on a small farm in western Canada provides the seed for stories of contemporary inspirational romance and farm lit. Like many of her characters, Valerie and her family grow much of their own food and are active in the local food movement as well as their church. She only hopes her creations enjoy their happily ever afters as much as she does hers, shared with her husband, adult kids, and adorable granddaughters. Visit her website and blog to glimpse inside her world.