Devotions for a Revolutionary Year with Lynn Cowell (and a giveaway!)

Know a teen girl? Then you are gonna LOVE today’s guest post and giveaway by my good friend and ministry partner Lynn Cowell.

Here she is now, sharing from her heart and about her new devotional for teens:

Sometimes I’m motivated to action by statistics. Like this one: 70 – 75 % of teen youth walk away from their faith after high school (see data from Barna ). As a mom of three young adults and teens, this is way more than a startling statistic. It is a fact I have to face it and choose to be actively doing something about it. As my friend, Erin Bishop of The Whatever Girls says, “I have to teach God’s word with intention and not hesitation.”

But that is easier said than done! Commitments and schedule gobble up my family’s time. Energy at the end of the day is all but gone, leaving me a mom who just wants to crawl in bed and call it a day. How can I make what is truly important a real priority?

I have to be intentional. I have to look for and take any opportunity to share God’s truth with my kids. On the way home from practice, while making dinner, and even waiting in line at the store; any time can be turned into a good time to talk about Jesus.

While making the most of those spontaneous times are great, I’ve learned that structured time to read God’s Word with my kids is a must.

Yet a look at our family’s schedule makes it appear impossible. I’ve found the morning is one of the rare open spaces in our days so I choose to read God’s word to my kids while they eat their breakfast.

The year I started this, it didn’t go over well too well! As teens, the last thing they wanted to do was get up earlier so that we could all be at the table at the same time. But with a little compromise here and a tweaking of the alarm clock there, we made the commitment and followed through.

Pouring small amounts of truth into my daughters before they hit their school halls has become a big priority. Am I fitting in a chapter of the Bible each day? No. But speaking even just a portion of God’s unfailing love helps prepare my daughters for the trials and temptations they face each day. My girls can’t quote large chunks of Scripture but, little by little, truth is sinking in; their lives are reflecting change. And God’s truth is sinking into my heart too!

You can teach a young person in your life God’s Word, too. It’s doesn’t take half an hour a day, but just a few minutes. Start with texting all of your kids a verse a few times a week. Keep a devotional book in the car, having one of your children read out loud on the way to school. Create a habit of reading right after you all brush your teeth. The time of the day isn’t important. What is important is finding time and making it a priority.

To help you get started, I am offering a free 7 Day Faith Builder. These devotions are straight out of my new book, “Devotions for a Revolutionary Year; 365 Days of Jesus’ Radical Love for You.” When you sign up, each day you will receive a short devotional to read to your girl. It only takes 2 – 3 minutes!

Should you find you want more than 7 days, you want 365, just send me your receipt for “Devotions for a Revolutionary Year” before October 1st to [email protected] and you’ll receive a link with over $75 in free resources including three sessions from my “His Revolutionary Love” conference never before released!

And, one of you who comments on this post will get a copy of Devotions for a revolutionary Year. Just tell us about a teen girl you’d love to give the book to. Winner announced Monday. :-)

74 Comments

  1. I would love to have this for my 14 year daughter who has been exposed to many issues lately that I would have thought might not come around until she reached high school. I’m desperate for something to help her stay focused on what’s important and true. I know this post was from a while back, but I just came across it through an internet search today and though I would still post. Thank you!

  2. I would love to give this to my precious 15 year old granddaughter who lives way too far away – 33 hours. Thank the Lord for telephones and email! Thank YOU for all the offers you extend to us.

  3. i would love to give this to my niece. My foster sister loves the Lord but all the problems with her ex as well as living with a guy who then decided he really did not want to be a husband/father has really taken a toll on my precious niece. Think this could be a big help to not only my niece but perhaps something she & my sister could do together.

  4. I would love to order a copy to give to my daughter or even win a free copy for her. I am glad I ran into your article and I will definitely try to help her with her faith as it is important part of my life and I want to make sure it is important in her life as well.
    Thanks. :)

  5. My first granddaughter, Tava, who is 13 and a half. I just spent 3 weeks with her and family visiting. She has a tender heart and loves God. I just would like her to have a vital relationship with her Savior.

  6. I would love to win this for one of my daughter’s friends. Things have changed for her this year in going to middle school and she needs to be reminded of God’s love for her!

  7. I would love to give it to my friends neighbor who babysits. She could really use this since she isn’t strong in her faith & has friends that aren’t good influences. I pray for her often.

  8. My daughter is in college and I feel like she is pulling away from her faith. I would love to give your book to her along with my prayers for her life.

  9. I would love to get this for my 15 year old granddaughter so she can share it with a group of her Christian friends who meet during lunch once a week…informally at a public school…I am so proud of her for doing that.

  10. I would love this book for my daughter – high school junior – finding her way in life with career and college decisions looming on the horizon. This book would be a great source of encouragement we could read together also albessing for our relationship!

    Blessings,
    ~C

  11. I would love to share this book with my daughter who recently gave her heart to the Lord. I have already began the 7 day Faith Builder with her and it has opened up several new conversations that probably would not have happened otherwise. Thank you!

  12. What a great post. Thank-you for sharing with us!! I can’t wait to get the book for us to work with our children!! I also want to get the book for our neighbor who is fostering 2 children. They have been through a lot and our neighbors are making such a difference in their life. Thanks again for ALL YOU DO!!!

  13. I would love to be able to give the devotional book to a young lady, but I was blessed with only boys! ;o) so it would have to be given to a lil lady from our church. Having three boys with ball schedules of all kinds from elementary through college with devotions thrown in has always been a challenge for us. I would like to encourage all the moms and dads out there to try to do just that! My husband has played taxi the entire time our boys have gone to school and to games. He has used the radio or taped version of our daily bread (luckily it fit into their drive to school while living outside Nashville), he’s let them take turns reading from our ‘devotions for boys’ devotional (cant remember the name) when they were a little older and then he started doing more of the ‘life lessons’ when they hit middle school and high school. It’s been a blessing to me to hear all the little ‘boy things’ they would discuss – from friends, to peer pressure, to how to date a girl the RIGHT way and yes,, even sex and the changes ‘mom is going through right now’. We actually have started reading the ‘daily bread devotional’ in the mornings before school and the ‘checking in’ with our boys to determine just how God blessed their day around the supper table. It’s SO important for families to spend time with each other and God on a daily basis; leaving it for a Sunday School teacher once a week is so not enough. I pray God’s blessings on you all and encourage you to have devotions with your children (or grandchildren if you are blessed with caring for them) while they are still young and then make it a daily ‘habit’. Start now, even if they are older; they may… no WILL grumble, but if you are persistent and they see you are taking an interest in them and then see God’s blessings in their lives by answered prayer… seeds are being planted for a lifetime commitment and for eternity. What better gift can you give them for five minutes a day?? WOW!

  14. I would love to be able to give the devotional book to a young lady, but I was blessed with only boys! ;o) Having three of them with ball schedules of all kinds from elementary through college with devotions thrown in has always been a challenge for us. I would like to encourage all the moms and dads out there to try to do just that! My husband has played taxi the entire time our boys have gone to school and to games. He has used the radio or taped version of our daily bread (luckily it fit into their drive to school while living outside Nashville), he’s let them take turns reading from our ‘devotions for boys’ devotional (cant remember the name) when they were a little older and then he started doing more of the ‘life lessons’ when they hit middle school and high school. It’s been a blessing to me to hear all the little ‘boy things’ they would discuss – from friends, to peer pressure, to how to date a girl the RIGHT way and yes,, even sex and the changes ‘mom is going through right now’. We actually have started reading the ‘daily bread devotional’ in the mornings before school and the ‘checking in’ with our boys to determine just how God blessed their day around the supper table. It’s SO important for families to spend time with each other and God on a daily basis; leaving it for a Sunday School teacher once a week is so not enough. I pray God’s blessings on you all and encourage you to have devotions with your children (or grandchildren if you are blessed with caring for them) while they are still young and then make it a daily ‘habit’. Start now, even if they are older; they may… no WILL grumble, but if you are persistent and they see you are taking an interest in them and then see God’s blessings in their lives by answered prayer… seeds are being planted for a lifetime commitment and for eternity. What better gift can you give them for five minutes a day?? WOW!

  15. I have 3 daughters and this sounds perfect for the oldest two – 16 and 10. It is so important to me that they truly understand God’s “Revolutionary” love for them! I so want them to find their identity in Christ alone!

  16. This sounds like an awesome devotional! I have so many girls I could choose from, but there is one girl in my youth group who is going thru a rough family time & is so hungry for the word!

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