Six Ways To Get Faith

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Cross-eyed And Cross-eared For Jesus!

Six Ways To Get Faith Into Daughter’s Eyes and Ears.

When it comes to reading the Bible, do you ever feel like the words go in one eye and out the other? Or what about in church when the pastor is preaching (on and on and on. LOL) Do his words go in one ear and out the other?

If you struggle, imagine how our children might feel? I have good news; it’s okay to be a little “crossed-eyed or cross-eared” for Jesus! Get it “Cross-eyed, Cross-eared?” (Sorry, not sorry, mom joke.)

It’s okay to acknowledge the difficulty you have when reading the Bible. When your children come to you with questions, it’s okay to admit you don’t have all the answers. But God has great news for you and your children. He gave you this amazing, supernatural promise;

“Faith comes by hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Romans 10:17

Did you catch that promise? How do you get faith? First, let me tell you how you do not get faith. Faith does not come from your studious pursuit of knowledge. Faith does not come by hours of work. It doesn’t even come by your own understanding.

Look at that verse again. How does faith come? Faith comes by hearing through the word of Christ. The words of Jesus (He is the Word) will enter into your eyes, your ears, or your fingers (if you are blind and reading by Braille) and plant a gift of faith inside of you (It’s all a gift).

Your get faith by hearing. God gives faith simply by hearing through the word (the Bible) of Christ. I’m not telling you to nod off in church, but when the preacher speaks God’s words, he’s delivering faith to you, whether you know it or not. What a relief for you and your children as you grow in your knowledge of God’s word. Another reason to bring your children into the church. Trust God’s gift is being poured out even when everyone has the wiggles.

You might not understand what you are hearing or reading (yet!) but keep listening and studying. The seed of faith will cause a desire to want more. Trust God to give you this unending gift of faith as you study His word. When your children have questions, that means faith has been planted. Together you can seek answers and grow in your faith together.

Here are six practical steps you can take to make reading the Bible more enjoyable and most importantly, steps you can take to increase comprehension for you and for your children while resting in his promise as the faith-giver.

Get a children’s Bible. girl reading Bible

Research age-appropriate children’s Bibles. My favorite children’s Bible is Sally Llyod-Jones “The Children’s Storybook Bible.” I like this one because the Bible stories are written to lead the reader to discover Jesus throughout all of scripture. She says, “The Bible isn’t a book of rules, (the Bible has rules in it that show you how life works best) or a book of heroes. The Bible is most of all a story. It’s an adventure story about a young Hero who comes from a far country to win back his lost treasure.”

Get yourself a good study Bible.

There are so many options and translations to choose from. Ask your pastor and friends what they recommend. A good study Bible might have cross-references, historical summaries, and a Concordance of definitions and meanings. If you already have a Bible, you might consider getting a separate Concordance to aid with comprehension. I have the “Strong’s Concise Concordance and Vine’s Concise Dictionary of The Bible.” Many denominations have additional study resources such as small catechism, prayer books, etc.

Read the Bible aloud with your children.

Choose a time of day that works best for you; morning devotions, meals, bedtime, etc. Keep it short and simple but read the words out loud. The Psalms are a beautiful way to begin and end each day.

Play an audible Bible app.

Play the app while driving in the car and/or at home. I have Bible Gateway, You Version, Bible Hub apps on my smartphone.

Encourage Bible verse memorization.

Write, paint, chalk, (have fun) to aid with memorizing Bible verses. Practice saying the verses out loud. Turn the words into a song and create hand motions to help with memorization. There are many resources for this too.

Join a Bible study.

Of course, in-person conversations and community is best, but life is a little crazy right now. Most importantly, join a community of believers for help and prayer. Hundreds of years of theologians have gone before us to guide us in our studies. We can look to them for guidance.

 

Next time you hear or read something you don’t understand, take notes, circle or underline it and put a date by it. Ask God for wisdom. Explore your Bible resources for answers. Remember, scripture interprets scripture! Trust that the gift of faith is working in your heart and mind. When you finally understand that portion of scripture (it’s okay if it takes days, weeks, months, or years; God is at work through faith), put a new date on it to celebrate the gift of faith!

Now, go find a favorite Bible verse and share the gift of faith with others! Here’s one of my favorites:

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV

Jody Token is the creator and coach of The Great Flip, online self-defense, safety and faith-filled empowerment for girls age six and up. Request a free video at www.thegreatflip.com

 

Here’s a devotion to share with your daughter. It is one of many featured in the True Girl Summer Subscription Box. I give girls a simple promise from the Bible on how to get faith. Check it out!

Cross-eyed and cross-eared for Jesus!

Reading the Bible can be intimidating. Sometimes I feel like I’m reading words that go in one eye and out the other. And other times at church, the words of the pastor go in one ear and out the other.  

I have good news; it’s okay to be a little “crossed-eyed or cross-eared” for Jesus! Get it CROSS-eyed, CROSS-eared? (Sorry, not sorry, mom joke!)

It’s okay to acknowledge the difficulty of reading the Bible. It’s okay to admit you don’t understand. But God has great news for you. He gave you this amazing, supernatural promise;

“Faith comes by hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Romans 10:17.

Did you catch that promise? How do you get faith? First, let me tell you how you do not get faith. Faith does not come from your studious pursuit of knowledge. Faith does not come by hours of work. It doesn’t even come by your own understanding. 

Faith comes by hearing through the word of Christ. The words of Jesus (He is the Word) will enter into your eyes, your ears, or your fingers (if you are blind and reading by Braille) and plant a gift of faith inside of you (It’s all a gift). That’s how you get faith. God gives faith to you by simply hearing through the word (the Bible) of Christ. 

You might not understand what you are reading (yet!), but keep studying. Faith will cause a desire to want more and understand more. Trust God to give you this unending gift of faith as you study His word. 

Action point

Next time you read something you don’t understand, circle or underline it and put a date by it. Ask God for wisdom. Explore your Bible for answers. Scripture interprets scripture! Trust that the gift of faith is working in your heart and mind even during uncertain times. When you finally understand that portion of scripture (it’s okay if it takes days, weeks, months, or years; God is at work through faith), put a new date on it to celebrate the gift of faith!

Find a favorite Bible verse. Write in on a postcard. Memorize it. Try this one:

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

Jody Token is the creator and coach of The Great Flip, online self-defense, safety and faith-filled empowerment for girls age six and up. Request a free video at www.thegreatflip.com

Coach Jody offers online self-defense videos, lesson plans and anti-bully resources for girls!

Click here to review online courses.

The Great Flip is an American Heritage Girls national program alliance. Click here to learn more.

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How To Be Strong This Summer

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“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.” Proverbs 3:5-8

 

Taking care of your body is important. Eating whole food instead of processed food, drinking water instead of soda, exercising instead of prolonged screen time and getting enough sleep are four awesome ways to decrease obesity and increase our immune system. Review these four “Be Strong” tips in the family activity below. 

I know a lot of people are saying “be safe” and it’s important to consider your safety in all aspects of life. I’m a self-defense coach, so yes, I can teach you a few things about safety. But I want to encourage you today with tips about “being strong.”

Be Strong.

I want you to be strong in your body, mind and spirit. When you focus on your strength, you’ll be able to make wise decisions about safety too.

God’s word says something amazing about how to “be strong.” When you trust in the Lord, you have less stress. When you have less stress, your anxiety reduces. When your anxiety reduces, your body becomes healthy and your bones grow strong. 

Why trust God? Because he loves you! “For this is how God loved the world (put your name here): He gave his one and only Son so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16. This is a trustworthy promise for you! Let that sink into your body and bones.

Sit down with your family and discuss the four ways you can be strong:

Four ways to be strong.

Pick one healthy habit to improve this week. Record your progress. Take pictures and share with #TrueGirl #TheGreatFlip. 

  1. Eat whole foods. If your food doesn’t grow from the ground or eat from the ground, it’s probably not whole food. Oh, how I wish I could grow Oreos in my garden. :) Learn how to cook something healthy or try a new fruit or vegetable. 
  2. Drink water. Reduce your intake of sugar and/or caffeine. Find a water intake calculator and refillable sports bottle to reach your goal. Squeeze fresh lemon in your water. Yum!
  3. Get enough sleep. Tweens and teens need between 9-10 hours of sleep. What time should you go to bed to get enough sleep?
  4. Physical exercise. Reduce screen time and exercise. Start a fitness challenge with your family or friends. Play a sport. Run around the house. Do jumping jacks. Do something active for at least 30 minutes every day. What will you do to achieve this goal?  

Learn about the martial art called Brazilian jiu-jitsu with me here at The Great Flip.

Click here to request a free video and lesson plan. Not only will you get physically fit, but you will also learn an amazing life skill too! It’s a win-win!

 

EXTRA CREDIT: Read my blog that was featured on True Girl’s website and learn how trusting in the Lord offers five more ways to be strong. Click here.

 

Jody Token is the creator and coach of The Great Flip, online self-defense, safety and faith-filled empowerment for girls age six and up at www.thegreatflip.com

Click here to request a free self-defense video and lesson plan!

See you on the mat! – Coach Jody

online self-defense for girls

The Great Flip is an American Heritage Girls national program partner. Coach Jody is a contributing writer for True Girl, a ministry of Dannah Gresh.

Click here to request a free self-defense video and lesson plan!

Click here to learn more about online self-defense, safety and faith-filled empowerment.

 

How Sabbath Rest Saved My Daughter’s Life

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When it comes to taking care of your body, mind and spirit, remembering the Sabbath day is an important spiritual discipline.  And here’s “the great flip,” we enter into spiritual disciplines not to earn God’s love, but because we already have it. Here is my daughter’s story. 

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.” Exodus 20:8

My daughter, Megan, is a senior in college and struggles with perfectionism and anxiety. Can anyone relate? But she has discovered the joy of Sabbath rest. 

“I’m a workaholic,” she confessed. “I get in a zone and I can’t stop being productive. If I don’t stop and remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, my body will crash,” she says.

Now, she sees Sabbath as a gift. Her Sabbath provides motivation to work hard all week so on Sunday, she can enjoy church with her friends, receive the means of grace through the word, remembering her identity in Christ through baptism and receiving faith nutrition through communion. Her intentional effort to protect the Sabbath day now protects her from burnout and exhaustion. She is refreshed and refueled for a new week.

She doesn’t allow her “to-do” list to enter into her Sabbath day. Instead, she gives it to God and He gives her rest and joy. Not every week is perfect, but it’s a pattern of living that has brought order to her routine. Now on Sunday afternoons she takes time to hang out with friends, lay on the couch, do art projects, play her ukulele, or go for a hike. 

A fresh perspective on spiritual disciplines.

It’s important to have a healthy view of spiritual disciplines like honoring the Sabbath Day, prayer, fasting, and service so these disciplines do not become legalistic activities. Starting with the correct mindset will help you and your daughter enjoy spiritual disciplines and not despise them. 

Even Martin Luther in his explanation of the commandment to honor the Sabbath Day said, “We should fear and love God so that we do not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it.” 

Consider spiritual disciplines as gifts from your heavenly father to gladly hear and learn. God promises to meet us where we are through these disciplines. He promises to extend his grace and blessings. He promises to meet us in these quiet places. 

“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth!” Psalm 46:10

We enter into a spiritual discipline NOT to earn God’s love, but because we already have it.

We have his complete love and affection through Jesus. From a position of gratitude, we enter into spiritual disciplines. We don’t serve God in order to get more from Him. He has given us everything through Jesus. He is our great reward. When our motivation changes from “have to” to “want to” our entire Christian perspective shifts.  Suddenly, like my daughter, you will see everything as a “good and perfect gift (James 1:17)” including commandments and spiritual disciplines. 

My daughter surrounds herself with like-minded friends who desire to honor the Sabbath Day. These faith-family friends (her church buddies) help her build a schedule, keep her accountable and celebrate with her on those Sabbath rest days. 

Consider sitting down with your family to prioritize Sabbath rest into your schedule.

  • Have a family meeting to talk about Sabbath rest and its benefits.
  • How can you structure your week so that the Sabbath day is kept holy?
  • What activities do you need to prioritize to give your family the gift of Sabbath rest? 
  • What would you do if the Sabbath day was free to rest and enjoy? 

Share your Sabbath day stories with me at @TheGreatFlip and #thegreatflip

Welcome to The Great Flip

Jody Token is the creator and coach of The Great Flip, online self-defense, safety and faith-filled empowerment for girls age six and up. I created a fun, playful and empowering resource for you and your daughter to learn self-defense skills at home, school or after school.

Click here to request a free self-defense video.

A big shout out to my daughter, Megan for sharing her story. She is a psychology major at Asbury University and is an advocate for mental health awareness. Follow her blog at  “The Peace He Gives” Blog https://megantoken.blogspot.com

Megan trains self-defense skills with me. We make training together fun, playful and empowering. Give it a try at home, at school P.E. class or after school in an enrichment program or Christian club.

For more faith-filled empowerment resources from Coach Jody, click here. 

online self-defense for girls

  • The Great Flip is an American Heritage Girls national program alliance.
  • Jody’s blogs and devotions can be found at True Girl, a Pure Freedom ministry of Dannah Gresh.
  • Contact Coach Jody

 

As featured at True Girl

https://mytruegirl.com/blog/how-the-discipline-of-sabbath-rest-changed-my-daughters-life/

 

As featured in Christian Parenting

How the discipline of Sabbath rest saved my daughter’s life

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy” (Exodus 20:8 ESV).

My daughter, Megan, is a senior in college and struggles with perfectionism and anxiety. Can anyone relate? But she has discovered the joy of Sabbath rest.

“I’m a workaholic,” she confessed.

“I get in a zone and I can’t stop being productive. If I don’t stop and remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, my body will crash,” she says.

Refueled through the Church

Now, she sees Sabbath as a gift. Her Sabbath provides motivation to work hard all week, so on Sunday, she can enjoy church with her friends, receive the means of grace through the word, remember her identity in Christ through baptism and receive faith nutrition through communion.

Her intentional effort to protect the Sabbath day now protects her from burnout and exhaustion. She is refreshed and refueled for a new week.

She doesn’t allow her “to-do” list to enter into her Sabbath day. Instead she gives it to God, and he gives her rest and joy. Not every week is perfect, but it’s a pattern of living that has brought order to her routine.

Now on Sunday afternoons she takes time to hang out with friends, lay on the couch, do art projects, play her ukulele, or go for a hike.

A fresh perspective on spiritual disciplines

It’s important to have a healthy view of spiritual disciplines like honoring the Sabbath Day, prayer, fasting, and service so these disciplines do not become legalistic activities.

Starting with the correct mindset will help you and your family enjoy spiritual disciplines and not despise them.

Even Martin Luther in his explanation of the commandment to honor the Sabbath Day said, “We should fear and love God so that we do not despise preaching and his word but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it.”

Consider spiritual disciplines as gifts from your heavenly father to gladly hear and learn. God promises to meet us where we are through these disciplines. He promises to extend his grace and blessings. He promises to meet us in these quiet places.

“Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth!” (Psalm 46:10 ESV).

Gratitude in our disciplines

We enter into a spiritual discipline not to earn God’s love, but because we already have it. We have his complete love and affection through Jesus. From a position of gratitude, we enter into spiritual disciplines. We don’t serve God in order to get more from him because he has given us everything through Jesus. He is our great reward.

When our motivation changes from “have to” to “want to” our entire Christian perspective shifts. Suddenly, like my daughter, you will see everything as a “good and perfect gift (James 1:17)” including commandments and spiritual disciplines.

Rest in your home

My daughter surrounds herself with like-minded friends who desire to honor the Sabbath Day. These faith-family friends (her church buddies) help her build a schedule, keep her accountable, and celebrate with her on those Sabbath rest days.

Consider sitting down with your family to prioritize Sabbath rest into your schedule. Have a family meeting to talk about Sabbath rest and its benefits.

How can you structure your week so that the Sabbath day is kept holy? What activities do you need to prioritize to give your family the gift of Sabbath rest?  What would you do if the Sabbath day was free to rest and enjoy?

 

5 Surprising Ways To Teach Your Daughter To Care For Her Body

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As featured on the My True Girl Blog.

Teaching your daughter to take care of her body is important. Eating whole food instead of processed food, drinking water instead of soda, getting enough sleep and exercising instead of prolonged screen time are four amazing ways to decrease obesity and increase our immune system.

But God’s word says something else brings health and nourishment to your body and bones. Check out this proverb:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.” Proverbs 3:5-8

Why trust God? Because he loves you!

“For this is how God loved the world (put your name here): He gave his one and only Son so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16.

This is a trustworthy promise for you! Let that sink into your body and bones.

But how does it make us healthier?

When you trust in the Lord, you have less stress. When you have less stress, your anxiety reduces. When your anxiety reduces, your body becomes healthy and your bones grow strong. When your body and bones are healthy, you desire to trust God, seek after the life Jesus has intended for you through the power of his Holy Spirit.

I offer this proverb, not to increase your list of things to do. (I know you have plenty of that) Instead, I offer the proverb as a promise from God. When he says “trust in the Lord…”, remember He is trustworthy.

My favorite children’s Bible is “The Jesus Storybook Bible.” The author says it best. “Some people think the Bible is a book of rules, telling you what you should and shouldn’t do. The Bible certainly does have some rules in it. They show you how life works best. But the Bible isn’t mainly about you and what you should be doing. It’s about God and what he has done.”

Jesus lived a perfect life … for you. He trusted perfectly … for you. His Holy Spirit lives in you and gives you faith to believe his word is  … for you. Even faith is a gift.

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Romans 10:17

Now read this passage of Scripture again and instead of hearing a “to-do” list, read it as a promise for you and receive faith.

Because of Jesus’ great love for you, you can joyfully:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.” Proverbs 3:5-8

What are five ways to bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones:

  1. Trust in the Lord

  2. Don’t lean on your own understanding

  3. Submit to him

  4. Do not be wise in your own eyes

  5. Fear the Lord and shun evil

Okay, so technically, there are six points there, but I put five and six together.

Now, go get your daughter! Review the five ways to bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. Grab a journal and/or calendar. As you set wellness goals for you and your girl, be sure to include a way to reduce the stress and increase your trust in God!

Jody Token, along with Dannah Gresh, Staci Rudolph, and other women who love tweens, writes daily devos for True Girl subscribers.  Jody is the creator and coach of The Great Flip, online self-defense, safety and faith-filled empowerment for girls age six and up at www.thegreatflip.com.

Looking for more ways to bring wellness into your daily lives?! Check out the all-new True Girl subscription box! This month, we are shipping THE WELLNESS BOX! It contains all the great stuff you need to complete a simple but life-changing month of mom+daughter wellness!

The Great Flip is an American Heritage Girls national program alliance.

online self-defense for girls

made matchless leah tatina

Stand on God’s power (not girl power); Listen to the Empowered Girl Podcast! 🎧

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The girl power movement is shifting sand. The message is always changing. The lies are evolving. How do a mother and daughter get ahead and get a handle on the culture?

Leah Tatina, the creator of Made Matchless, has a solution. Instead of focusing on the lies, we should first ground ourselves and our daughters in God’s truth. No matter what the lie is any given day, God’s truth will remain. This is God’s power in action for our girls (and mom too!)

Learn how to stand on God’s power by listening to my podcast called The Great Flip “empowered girl” Podcast.

Download Leah’s free “I am” Made Matchless Pledge at her website at https://www.madematchless.com/

 

Made Matchless features The Great Flip on YouTube!

Leah is crushing it on YouTube! She made an amazing resource for me about Girl Power vs. God’s Power. Check this out!

She’s amazing!

About Leah

Leah Tatina, Made Matchless creator, is delightfully educating and inspiring girls and their moms to live out their unique God-given purposes with Biblical resources, events and curriculum. She considers herself an ordinary homeschool mother who serves an extraordinary God. Instead of focusing on the lies of the girl power movement, Leah focuses on God’s truth.

Be sure to like and subscribe to The Great Flip “empowered girl” Podcast at your favorite podcast place (Apple, Spotify, Anchor, etc.)

You can financially support these podcasts at my Anchor podcast, click here.

Don’t forget to download a free resource from Leah at her website: https://www.madematchless.com/subscribe/

Find Made Matchless on Youtube @madematchless

Follow Leah on Social Media @madematchless

 

Hi friends, welcome to The Great Flip online self-defense, safety and faith-filled empowerment for girls age six and up. You and your daughter can learn self-defense that is fun, playful and empowering using my online videos and lesson plans. Families are learning self-defense at home, at school and after school using The Great Flip.

Learning self-defense can be scary for girls. My coaching style is fun, playful and empowering for girls age six and up. I equip you to talk about bullies and bad guys in a safe and age-appropriate way.

Instead of going to a stinky martial arts gym, start your journey with me. You get to be in charge of a safe, positive and affordable experience.

online self-defense for girls

The Great Flip is an American Heritage Girls national program alliance.

 

 

 

 

the great exchange

The Great Exchange is The Great Flip

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It is finished. Not only did he take your sin and the sin of the whole world. He “became” your sin! And in exchange, he gave you his righteousness. You “became” the righteousness of God!

Put on your royal robes and crown of gold, ladies! You are a daughter of the most-high king!

Rejoice in this. Ponder this mystery. You did nothing to deserve it. “While you were still a sinner, Jesus died for you.” Martin Luther refers to this mystery as the great exchange. The greatest gift of all … for you.

I call it The Great Flip! 

“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21

“Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” John 1:29. John the Baptist proclaimed these words when he saw Jesus approaching. Today, you can proclaim these same words. He takes your brokenness. He takes your shame. He frees you from the power of death. He doesn’t ask for your permission.

 

Jesus is a holy thief. He takes away the sin of the world and nailed them to a cross. He did it all for you because he loves you.  It is finished. Listen, Jesus, the Word enters into your ears and creates faith.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.” 

For more encouragement about the meaning of Easter and the gospel message, read my blog or listen to my podcast from last Easter. Click here. 

Welcome to The Great Flip

Hi friends, my name is Jody Token. I’m the creator and coach of The Great Flip online self-defense, safety and faith-filled empowerment for girls age six and up. I created a fun, playful and empowering experience to learn simple self-defense skills and share the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ. My resources give you an opportunity to talk about bully prevention and God’s healing words for girls and have fun learning life skills.

Be sure to request a free video and lesson plan. 

And find an online plan right for you and your family, church, school and/or after-school enrichment program.

Contact me. I look forward to serving you.

Blessings,

Coach Jody

online self-defense for girls

The Great Flip is an American Heritage Girls national program partner.

Coach Jody is a contributing writer for True Girl, a ministry of Dannah Gresh.

 

 

girl power vs God's power

God’s Power vs. girl power (Spoiler alert; God wins for you!)

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I was blessed to be a contributing writer for True Girl’s subscription boxes. True Girl is a ministry of Dannah Gresh. The spring and summer boxes will feature my devotions. Today’s devotion is all about God’s power vs. girl power. Spoiler alert … God’s power wins for you! His power is always better and greater than girl power.

Read this devotion with your daughter and participate in the activity at the end.

“For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13

I remember when my daughter first saw this verse. She thought she could defy gravity! Imagine the possibilities! She could win first place in her cross country meet. Ace her math test. “I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me!” she exclaimed! But no matter how hard she tried, she didn’t get first place and that math test was harder than she expected. She felt exhausted and defeated.

What is the source of your strength? Better asked … Who is the source of your strength? Your own girl power or God’s power?

three life skills for every girl  Girl power is driven by results and must be earned.

The promise is conditional. If you work hard enough and win, you get credit. If you work hard and fail. You feel like a failure. It’s no wonder girls suffer from depression and anxiety more than at any time in history. Girl power is fake power. 

But God’s power is unconditional, never-ending and a free gift from Jesus.

This Bible verse, penned by the apostle Paul, promises Christ-followers the power of Jesus in all circumstances. Christ’s strength will empower you in any situation, in good times and in bad. If you win, he celebrates with you. If you lose, God strengthens you with his comfort and peace. God’s power is real power.

three life skills for every girl

A girl can do anything not because of who she is or how hard she tries. A girl can do anything because of whose she is and His name is Jesus!

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” Romans 1:16

Action Point: Write the words “girl power” on a piece of paper. Now rip it up and throw it in the trash. On a new piece of paper or in your journal write today’s Bible verse. Now write things you need strength for today. Say a prayer thanking God for his power in your life! 

 

Short bio: Jody Token is the creator and coach of The Great Flip, online self-defense, safety and faith-filled empowerment for girls age six and up at www.thegreatflip.com

Want a fun, playful and faith-filled empowered activity for girls? Welcome to The Great Flip, online self-defense, safety and faith-filled empowerment resources for girls age six and up.

Request a free video and lesson plan.

Shop online courses.

Download a free excerpt from My Anti-bully Ebook.

Let’s start from the very beginning (it’s a very good place to start). Visit my homepage.

online self-defense for girls

The Great Flip is an American Heritage Girls national program alliance.

 

 

Three tips to overcome fear of germs, bullies and germy bullies

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Long before COVID-19 and “social distancing” was a thing, bullies roamed the hallways at home, at school and after-school. They still do. 

By now, our children are familiar with navigating “social distancing” protocols, but do they have the skills to deal with bullies who intend to break physical barriers? Does your child exhibit any new fears of physical contact? This might be due to a bully situation or a new germ phobia. 

Because the “germ” landscape is constantly changing, be sure to communicate with your child to determine the source of their fear and anxiety. Even as “social distancing” norms change, you can teach your children three “no-contact” self-defense skills and empower them to overcome the fear of germs, bullies, and germy bullies. 

Your Voice. 

no contact self defense

Your voice is the first line of self-defense. Ask your child to list all the ways his/her voice can be helpful if a bully is approaching. 

A voice can:

  • Communicate boundaries.
  • Escalate or deescalate a situation.
  • Yell for help.
  • Build up or tear down.
  • Express emotions.

Roleplay with your child and encourage the development of their voice as a form of self-defense. Help your child choose the right words and correct tone of voice when communicating their feelings based on different situations. Teach them to be direct but not bossy, assertive but not aggressive. Begin with a calm voice, but as a situation changes, teach them it’s okay to be loud if necessary. 

(As a self-defense instructor, I encourage children to be loud when counting repetitions in a warm-up exercise. For example, when doing jumping jacks, I will count 1-5, then encourage them to count aloud 6-10. Some children need to control their voice (tone it down, be loud without screaming). Some children need to be encouraged to be loud. There’s something empowering about letting out a good loud shout! Create space to develop your child’s voice.

Inner voice.

A child’s inner voice might dictate the way they express themself outwardly. Talk to your child about the voice inside their head. If they believe things that are not true, give them affirming words to replace the negative voice. Share God’s voice (God’s Word found in the Bible) with your child. Read God’s promises to your child and encourage them to memorize and internalize and recognize God’s voice.  (One of my favorites is Romans 8:37-39.)

End your time by using your voice to speak kind words to each other.

Your Body.  

Taking care of your body is a powerful form of self-defense. Defend your body with posture, hygiene and healthy habits.

Body language matters. no-contact safety tip your body

Poor posture can make your child appear weak. Bullies seek victims who look weak. But strong body language can make them appear strong. Even if they don’t feel confident, they can still look confident by standing tall with proper posture. 

The ole “place a hardcover book on your head” trick works to improve posture every time. Place a book on your child’s head and walk around the room keeping the book balanced. Make sure their head and eyes are up looking forward. Make a game out of this experiment.

Hygiene matters. 

I know you’ve heard it a million times, but it’s worth repeating and practicing. 

Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds especially after you have been in a public place, or after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing. Cover your mouth with your elbow when you cough or sneeze. Then go wash your hands. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands. 

Healthy habits matter.

Good nutrition and exercise defend your body against obesity and strengthens your immune system to fight off germs. Personal trainers and nutritionists agree that a healthy body is 80 percent good nutrition and 20 percent exercise. 

Here are four healthy habits to defend your body: 

  • Drink more water and less sugary drinks. 
  • Get enough sleep. 
  • Eat healthy whole foods and less processed foods.
  • Exercise every day for at least 30 minutes and decrease screen time.

Your distance. 

More than ever, children understand the concept of “distance management.” Prior to COVID, I spent a lot of time explaining “distance management.” Now, I say those two magic words “social distance” and they understand spatial orientation when it comes to the space between people. 

Personal space.  

Now that children understand the idea of “social distancing,” they can apply self-defense strategies to their personal space and safety. 

Your personal space is typically the space inside your arm span. Extend your arms out in front of you. This is your personal space. When confronted with a bully or someone walking towards you, protecting your personal space will keep you safe (from germs and a physical confrontation). 

When your child’s voice is not respected, then your child will need to be prepared to defend his/her personal space.

Roleplay by stepping toward your child. Teach them to keep their arms up while at the same time stepping back or around to maintain their personal space. Use that voice to assert boundaries!

The Push Kick

 

If a person gets too close, your child can use their hands to push a person away. Or they don’t want to use their hands, they can learn the push-kick self-defense technique.  Request a free video to learn this skill at www.thegreatflip.com 

Practice with a training buddy or solo-style.

Keep this activity fun, playful and empowering. Carefully balance on one foot and place the other foot just above your training partner’s knee. Now, push your partner away. If you don’t have a training buddy, carefully use your foot to push open a door. This is the push kick. 

Download the Anti-bully Ebook

Would you like to talk to your daughter about germs, bullies and germy bullies? Do you want to facilitate a grace place for girls to share their fears and anxiety? Download Coach Jody’s “My Anti-bully Ebook.” It includes two self-defense videos (the push kick is one of those videos) girls ages six and up can learn together. This is a fun, playful and empowering learning experience girls can do together or virtually. Click here to download My Anti-bully Ebook.

 

 

 

 

 

 

About Coach Jody

To learn more about self-defense training or create a simple martial arts experience at home, contact Jody Token, the creator and coach of The Great Flip, online self-defense, safety and faith-filled empowerment for ages six and up.

Click here to shop online for self-defense plans.

Click here to request a free video and lesson plan.

Click here to visit my homepage.

online self-defense for girls

 

An Empowered “True Girl” Podcast Every Girl Should Hear

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Girl power says be tough, be in their face, be loud, be aggressive.

God’s power says:

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:8-10

What is a girl to do? 

Every girl needs to hear my guest, Staci Rudolph, the lead Bible teacher at True Girl, a ministry of Dannah Gresh, on The Great Flip “empowered girl” Podcast!

If you desire to raise a faith-filled empowered girl, Staci offers specific ways you can equip and encourage your daughter to seek after God’s truth; including her online Bible study and subscription to the True Girl subscription box (see links below to get signed up).

Girl Power vs. GOD POWER (ps. God wins which means you win!)

I am on a mission to empower girls and their parents. But not as the world. I’m seeking experts who are countering the culture with God’s power. In every “empowered girl” podcast, you will connect with like-minded “God Power” experts who will give your hope, encouragement and resources to raise up the next generation of God-powered girls. 

My expert is True Girl, Staci Rudolph, a Dannah Gresh Ministry.

Staci Rudolph is a lead teacher for True Girl. From co-hosting online Bible studies like Habakkuk: Walking By Faith Through Difficult Days to teaching and leading worship at True Girl Live events, Staci is passionate about encouraging tweens and teens to walk in God’s Truth. She strives to journey with tweens and teens through the confusion often encompassing these years and to help them firmly plant themselves in God’s word and find their identity in Him.

True Girl believes it is possible to raise a girl who is confident in her faith and in herself, even in this culture. While moms may feel ill-equipped to navigate their daughters through the pressures of their tween years, studies show that parent-child connectedness is one of the main risk reducers for all the pressures tweens face. 

So moms: you can make a difference. No matter how broken you might feel, your relationship and connection with your girl matters.  True Girl makes this connection easy by creating opportunities for moms and daughters to discover deep Biblical truths together, so you’ll grow closer to each other and closer to Jesus. Because once you both know the Truth, it will set her free. Amen? amen!

Enjoy The Great Flip “empowered girl” Podcast wherever you enjoy listening to podcasts. Please subscribe to my podcast at your favorite venue. This episode is less than 30 minutes long; Just long enough for a good workout, lunch break, carpool, etc.

Listen to this podcast with your daughter!

Jody Token is the creator and coach at The Great Flip online self-defense, safety and faith-filled empowerment for girls. Girls age six and up learn self-defense skills at home, school and after school using The Great Flip online videos and lesson plans. The Great Flip is an American Heritage Girl national program partner.
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No-contact safety tip #3. Manage your “social” distance.

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One year ago, two new words entered into our vocabulary: “Social Distance.”

What’s your favorite “Social Distance” sign? I live in the country so it seems to resonate with everyone out here. LOL.

social distance

Prior to the expression “social distance”, I spent a lot of time teaching girls about “distance management” and “situational awareness.” I guess if I were to offer a positive result of “social distancing” is the awareness we have regarding our surroundings. I’m still not a big fan, but let’s look at the bright side and put those social distancing skills to good use for self-defense training.

Share this activity with your daughter.

List the five senses:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Answer: touch, taste, sight, smell, hearing. The senses send information to the brain to help us understand and perceive the world around us.

Discussion: Talk to your daughter about each sense and how it can help her be more aware of her surroundings.

Let’s talk about “distance management” and how it relates to self-defense.

What is “distance management?”

Answers:

  • Distance management is the awareness of your personal space. Your personal space is anything inside your arm’s length. 
  • Distance management is the awareness of your surroundings such as people, places and situations happening around you. 
  • Good distance management is making sure people are outside of your arm’s length (personal space). Now, it’s six feet apart remembering health and safety for COVID-19 and other viruses. 
  • Good distance management is being aware of your surroundings (all around you).

Discussion:

In self-defense, I teach and drill a “distance management” game referring to two zones:

Safety Zone – Your personal space is safe. No one is inside your arm’s length which means no one can kick or strike you.

Danger Zone – Your personal space is in danger. Someone is inside your arm’s length and they have the ability to kick or strike you. Take immediate action to recover your safety zone. 

List ways to escape the danger zone and re-establish your personal space aka safety zone?

  • Take one or two steps back to re-establish your personal space.
  • Remember to use your voice to communicate boundaries.

Activity:

Work with a partner (your training buddy). Face each other and extend your arms straight out and begin to step forward into each other’s personal space. Try and maintain your personal space by stepping backward and/or in a circular area depending on your training space. 

A little “push kick” dance.

Learn the push kick and dance with your training partner

Click here for a glimpse of the training.

 

This skill and many others have been modified for “no-contact” training too!

 

If you have a membership to The Great Flip, login and look for the “no-contact” PDF and videos.

Not a member, yet? Shop the online plans here. 

Request a free video.

 

Talk about ways to greet each other without physical contact.

What are acceptable ways to greet each other without a handshake?

  • Bump elbows
  • Place your hand on your heart and slightly bow while verbally greeting your friend
  • Use your Voice and say “hi” with no physical contact or gestures.
  • Other ideas?

How can we show kindness to one another without physical contact? 

Acts of service, Speak kind words, Compliment someone, Smile. Share ideas …

 

I’ll see you on the mat! – Coach Jody

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Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Instagram @thegreatflip. Post your training experience and use the hashtag #thegreatflip