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Five Ways to Gift An Experience from Coach Jody

As much as my daughters like a great gift, like clothes and gadgets, they love receiving the gift of an experience. Gifts are soon forgotten or lost in the shuffle. But an “experience” lasts a time time. 

One of our quirky traditions (among many) in our family is to read a poem with each gift. The poem reveals clues about the content of the gift. To this day, the poem that ended with an exclamation “I just want to go to the beach!” is the most remembered poem and gift to our children. We regularly enjoy gifting “experiences” to each other. They can be as simple as a father-daughter date, a mother-daughter shopping trip or a family game night. Grander “experiences” have included trips to the beach, NYC and mountain vacations.

We also enjoy gifting “experiences” by learning new skills and activities. This year, I bought two adorable Bible-verse-inspired cross-stitch kits for my girls. I guess I’ll find out if they read my blog or not.

If you are seeking unique gift ideas for your children, give them an experience! 

Here are five ways to gift an experience to your family:

  1. Match the experience to their personalities.   
  2. Match the experience to their favorite activities. 
  3. Seek an experience that brings your family together. 
  4. Introduce a new experience to stretch their imagination and try something they’ve never tried.
  5. Connect your child to an experience that is meaningful to them like a service project, cause or missionary. 

These goals can be achieved through homemade gift cards, poems, and actual gift cards. Need a few ideas to get the creative juices flowing? How about cooking subscriptions, adventures, hiking, a musical or show, and how about choosing from hundreds of unique “products or services” of the month clubs? 

Give the Gift of Self-Defense Skills!

Of course, as the Coach of The Great Flip, might I suggest you give them a subscription to my online martial arts? My online training videos and lesson plans are a fun way to introduce your child (and your whole family) to a new skill like self-defense. My martial arts training is inspired by Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Giving the gift of self-defense skills will be an experience to last a lifetime. You will give them courage and confidence. You will give yourself peace of mind knowing they have life skill like self-defense and safety. 

Plus, at The Great Flip, I offer empowering devotions to fill your family with faith in Jesus. The reason for the Christmas season. 

Click here to Request a free video

Use code TGF10 and enjoy a 10 percent discount on all my plans (except the Empowered Plan).

Click here to review the plans. 

Give the gift of an experience this Christmas season!

See you on the mat! – Coach Jody

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

The Great Flip is a preferred homeschool, charter and private school resource used for physical education and enrichment activities.

Coach Jody writes devotions for Dannah Gresh’s True Girl subscription box. A True Girl subscription box is a great experience to share with your daughter! Click here to learn more about True Girl.

Enjoy one of my devotions written for the subscription box below.

 

It’s All Gift

“You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.” Psalm 145:16

Why did God create humans? Some people believe that God made us to serve and obey him.

Sure, we serve and obey God, but that’s not why he made us.

At creation, God made Adam and Eve and gave them all of creation to enjoy and to manage.

In the Psalms, it says God opens His hands and satisfies the desires of every living thing. 

It’s all gift. 

He made you and gave you the free gift of his Son, Jesus.

Want more gifts? 

You receive the gift of faith when you listen to His word. (Romans 10:17)

You receive the gift of forgiveness when you repent. (1 John 1:8)

You receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and salvation in baptism. (Acts 2:38, 1 Peter 3:21)

We do not serve God to get his love. We serve God because we already have it through Christ Jesus!

ACTION POINT: What are some of your favorite gifts from God? Explain.

JODY TOKEN is the coach and creator of The Great Flip, faith-filled online martial arts for ages six and up. Request a free video at www.thegreatflip.com.

Enjoy this devotion? Click here to read more. These are always great to share with your children!

 

Click here to read more about the benefits of Online Martial Arts

 

Contact Coach Jody

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

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