Self Esteem ?

Liz Etherton discusses whether there is a need for Self-Esteem for youthm as Oprah suggests.
She highlights the need for youth to know who they are in Christ. I agree. This needs to start while they are still children.
Children need to know that they were made by God, God made their world God loves them unconditionally, And He wants them to be in a relationship (best friend) with Him! How do we do that ? That's another big question ...

Any thoughts ?

Challenged to tell the better story.

I'm not sure where I heard this(can you help me?), but Rob Bell is recorded as giving advice to a parent whose teenage daughter was starting to make a lot of choices that were leading down a bad path. She was "writing" her own story because the story(Parents Faith walk/talk) she was receiving was not very exciting for her.
The advice was give her the better story. The husband went home prayed and started a journey that would involve his family in starting an orphanage in a third world country. The daughter changed her path to her families.
Faith is an adventure - but often we turn it into something else. Reggie Joiner elaborated at Orange leader's forum which is described well by Kenny, check it out here.
Are we living God's story for our lives and will we help our youth catch His story for thir lives?

Unless you become like one of these ..

Thanks Perry for reminding us that we don't have to be afraid when it comes to approaching our Daddy.
The

other day I had another thought about how awesome the love of God is while I
was spending time with Charisse.
I walked into the living room after being at the gym for an hour or so and Charisse was playing in the floor & was unaware that I had came back home.
I called her name and she immediately looked up at me…AND…smiled. Nothing, I mean NOTHING can warm up the heart of a father any faster than seeing his child smile at him. She didn’t fear me bringing up her past…and her past HAS been nasty if you think about all of the crap and snot and vomit that she’s blown all over the place!
She was not fearful that I was going to yell at her and begin asking her to do things that would eventually hurt her and make her hate life.
She didn’t think that I was going to take something away from her, that I was actually out to get her and make her as miserable as possible.
NONE of that took place. She looked at me with her HUGE blue eyes and smiled because she KNEW that I was about to run to her, scoop her up in my arms and hug her as tightly as possible.
She looked at me with anticipation that something great was about to take
place.
She looked at me with joy because of how good I’ve been to her in her seven months so far on this planet.
She looked at me with complete trust, knowing that I’ve never done anything to hurt her…only to bless her and teach her.
She looked at me like any child should look at a father…and how I should look to God!
He’s not out to get me…OR I’d have already been gotten!
He’s not out to take something from me–what could I possibly have that He
wants. (By the way–it’s already His!)
He’s not out to hurt me, only to bless and teach me.
He’s been so good to me, seriously, He owes me NOTHING!
He’s not out to remind me of myr past–He’s already paid for that and made me brand new.
He wants to see me SMILE at Him, to see true joy in my life and complete trust that He is who Scripture says He is…my PERFECT heavenly father.I am praying that God will continue to teach me to view Him through the eyes of a child…and it is blowing my mind!!!!