Here, at www.choicesradio.com Teen Talk Radio, it's all about choices! Big or small, major or minor, there's a moment before every decision when you can alter the course of your life. Dive in with me on topics like peer pressure, dating, purity, drugs, alcohol, modesty, popularity, your future, and many other things that might come up along the way.

They tell me I'm a youth culture expert because I write and speak to pre-teens, teens, and parents about how to prepare for life's tough choices. I've written six books, been published over 200 times in devotional books, will see eleven more books release in the next year, and been interviewed on numerous radio stations as well as television--maybe that all does makes me an expert of some sort. I suppose being a mom of six, including toddler triplets, and working as a youth director, a Bible study leader for women and teens, a counselor at a crisis pregnancy center and serving as camp counselor for over a decade might qualify me in some ways, too.

But, it's the memory of my own teen years (yes, I can remember that far back) that has created a passion within me to reach out to teens and help them muddle through the confusion and pressure that life throws at them…at you! Hang out with me; let's figure it out together. I promise I won't preach at you--well, I'll try really hard not to!

Want some free stuff? Sometimes me or my guests will have giveaways, too. Gotta tune in to find out! You can also subscribe to Teen Talk Radio free on iTunes!

Nicole O'Dell, Choose NOW Ministries, ...battling peer pressure by tackling the tough issues

Choose NOW Radio airs Fridays LIVE from 9-10 CST at www.toginet.com!

Or you can come back here for the podcast, or subscribe on iTunes for FREE to Parent Talk or Teen Talk.

Opening Teen Talk is our very own Stefne Miller.

Stefne writes about authenticity...but that's not what we're going to be talking about! She has some of the coolest things going on! Her book, Collision, is being made into a movie and her books Salvaged and Rise are being made into a mini-series. This is happening right now as Stefne is fresh off the plane from LA. Don't you want to know all about it? I know I do! We'll find out what the experience has been like and how it's felt to see her stories and characters come to life. Join us!      

Next up, Shannon Deitz joins us to chat about healing after abuse.

Shannon Deitz is a woman in love with God and excited about her faith. But it wasn’t always that way. She was only 3 years old when the abuse began by a family member. While still a teen, her boyfriend was tragically killed in an auto accident, and she began to question a God who would claim a young man with so much life yet to be lived. At the fragile age of seventeen, she was raped and she began to distrust a God who would allow such a thing. Again, as a freshman in college, she was raped a second time, and she began to earnestly put as much distance between herself and God as she possibly could.

It has been said that the best thing about hitting bottom is that, when we do, we have no place else to go but up. Such was the case with Deitz. Growing up with such evil it is no wonder she struggled with low self-esteem.  At the age of 27, having run from God as far as she could go, she found herself at the bottom of a life that was no longer tolerable. Having no place to go but up, she looked to Heaven. And there was God, surrounding her with His peace. It was the beginning of a love story that has grown more beautiful with each passing day.

Shortly after her love affair with God began in earnest, Deitz felt a distinct calling to begin teaching the teens at her local church. Not only did this give her an opportunity to share her own struggles as a teen and tell others how God changed her personal tragedy into triumph, but it also allowed her to look beyond the traditions to more deeply explore the intricacies of her faith.

Deitz purpose in founding Hopeful Hearts was to help give a voice to those who can’t speak out, to help and encourage survivors of abuse. “My experience in helping survivors of abuse, along with what I find to be true for myself, is no matter the age or the type of abuse you don’t feel like you have a voice.  You are either shamed into being quiet or made to feel guilty so you don’t tell, or belittled enough that you begin to believe you deserve what is being done or said.  You don’t matter.  I think it’s time for survivors to recognize that they do matter and they are not alone.  It is my goal (or desire) to be a voice for them and hopefully encourage survivors of all ages, genders and races to speak out and begin to talk about the abuse.  

This week on Teen Talk: Bethany Jett and Ginger Garrett

Getting us started on Parent Talk this week is Bethany Jett! Bethany Jett write the On Friendship and the On Dating columns for Choose NOW Ministries. So who better to talk abou this issue? She has some great insight into BFF and Boyfriends. Boyfriends will come and go, but a bff will do life with you! Join us to hear Bethany's story and her advice to you as you navigate these important relationships.

With five years of "youth sponsor interning" under her belt by the age of 21,Bethany Jett knew God’s purpose involved working with young adults. She taught abstinence education (RESPECT) in high school, and began youth sponsoring at 17. Five months after winning the Florida Christian Writers Conference 2012 Writer of the Year award, Bethany Jett signed contracts with the MacGregor Literary Agency and Regal Publishing. Her debut book, The Cinderella Rule, hits bookstores in April of 2013. She is her husband’s greatest asset in their youth ministry, mentoring teens and young adults. Bethany is a writer and speaker, as well as Sunday School teacher, Bible study leader, cheerleading coach, and mother of three adorable little boys.   

Next up, Ginger Garrett

From the moment her marriage to prince Ahab thrusts her into the intrigues of palace life, Jezebel’s exotic beauty opens doors and her will breaks down walls. Torn from her homeland and wed to power in a strange country, Jezebel vows to create a legacy and power all her own. Some might call her a manipulative schemer, bent on having her way. But they don’t know the whole story, and she was much, much worse

As she moves through the halls of power, her heart struggles between devotion to the gods she worships, the prince who loves her, and her thirst for revenge. She sparks a battle between her strangely powerless gods and the God of palace administrator Obadiah—a God who confronts her with surprising might. She will fight, though victory may cost her everythin

Ginger Garrett is the author of the Chronicles of the Scribes series (In the Shadow of Lions, In the Arms of Immortals, In the Eyes of Eternity), Dark Hour, and Beauty Secrets of the Bible. Chosen: The Lost Diaries of Queen Esther was recognized as one of the top five novels of 2006 by the ECPA.

Choose NOW Radio airs Fridays LIVE from 10-11 EST at www.toginet.com!

Or you can come back here for the podcast, or subscribe on iTunes for FREE to Parent Talk or Teen Talk.

This week on Teen Talk, Tricia Goyer and Nicole O'Dell on Teen Pregnancy

Tricia Goyer has written more than thirty-five books, including both novels that delight and entertain readers and non- fiction titles that offer encouragement and hope. She has also published more than 500 articles in national publications such as Guideposts,Thriving Family, Proverbs 31, and HomeLife Magazine. And, Tricia writes the On Teen Pregnancy column for Choose NOW Ministries!

This week on Teen Talk, Tricia and I will be chatting about the good choices teen moms and teen moms-to-be can and do make. It's important that you recognize the good and let it empower you to continue in those good choices.  

Then, Erynn Mangum with Paige Torn

About the Author

Erynn Mangum is the author of the popular Lauren Holbrook (Miss Match, ReMatch, and Match Point) and Maya Davis (Cool Beans, Latte Daze, and Double Shot) series of books and the recent novel Sketchy Behavior. Her writing can also be found on her personal blog and on Scribble Chicks, a blog for young writers. To find out more about Erynn, go to www.erynnmangum.com.

Choose NOW Radio

Fridays LIVE from 9-10 CST at www.toginet.com!

Or you can come back here for the podcast,

or subscribe on iTunes for FREE to Parent Talk or Teen Talk.

On Teen Talk, we're opening with Bethany Jett!

Bethany Jett, Choose NOW Ministries columnist for the On Dating and a On Friendships columns, has just released her new book, The Cinderella Rule! If you're of dating age (or you're parenting someone who is) you need this book!!

Discover the rewards in store for those who patiently wait on the Lord for His purpose and plan.

Our world glorifies teen pregnancy, premarital sex and the role of domineering females. Girls are sexting, experimenting and initiating relationships. For young women this world is not only perilous, but deeply frustrating and disappointing.  

The Cinderella Rule encourages young women to understand that God created them to be His crowning achievement and teaches them to insist that the guys in their life treat them as such. While it is fun to be pursued, readers will take an in-depth look at how young women should act when the guy worth pursuing them shows up.

When young women understand who God created them to be, they understand more fully the confidence they need to set higher standards for themselves as well as the wonderful rewards in store for those who patiently wait on the Lord for His purpose and plan.  

   

And closing out the Teen Talk show, I'll welcome Nikki Arana who just won the 2013 ECPA Christian Book Award for fiction!

Author and speaker Nikki Arana bravely deals with one of the most relevant issues facing believers today— sharing their Christian faith both with and in spite of the quickly growing Muslim population in America. Through her ministry, A Voice for the Persecuted, Arana has been reaching out to people persecuted for their faith for many years.

In her first suspense novel, Arana looks at some of the most difficult security issues Americans face, from full-blown terrorism to the dangers of a Christian sharing his or her faith with the wrong person.

In The Next Target, Austia has a busy outreach to American Muslims, teaching them to speak English, assisting with job placement, and helping them navigate American culture. As least that’s how it looks. Underneath this politically correct structure, Austia has another, more important mission. She works diligently to win Muslims to Christ.

When her friend and student is murdered, Austia finds her mission threatened. Radical Muslim extremists are targeting her ministry, the women she serves, and even her very life. As the number of those in whom she can confide dwindles, Austia begins to wonder if there is anyone she can trust. Will she be able to elude those who are dead set on eliminating their next target?

Author and speaker Nikki Arana has received numerous awards for her writing, including the American Christian Fiction Writers’ Book of the Year award and Christianbook.com Top 20 Novel of the Year for The Winds of Sonoma. And just this past week, the 2013 ECPA award for fiction. Through her ministry, A Voice for the Persecuted, she inspires hearts toward evangelizing the Muslim community. Learn more about at her outreach at avoiceforthepersecuted.com and discover more about Arana at nikkiarana.com.  

Choose NOW Radio airs Fridays LIVE from 10-11 EST at www.toginet.com!

Or you can ome back here for the podcast, or subscribe on iTunes for FREE to Parent Talk or Teen Talk.

This week on Parent Talk (10:00), Cara Putman and Nicole O'Dell on Being Supermom

Cara Putman is the Choose NOW Ministries columnist on the issue of Doing it All. Why do we do this to ourselves as parents? Whose standards are we trying to live up to? Will we ever feel like we've met the expectations society has for us? Is there a better way? Hear from the Do-It-All Mom herself, Cara Putman. Cara is an attorney, author, professor, work-at-home-mom, homeschooler, laundress, cook, shopper, etc. She definitely does…it…all! Cara and I will look at those things and more as we dive into this issue headfirst. You ready? I know I am! (Spoken like a true supermom!)

And, Nicole O'Dell on dealing with Tragedy

In the second segment of Parent Talk this week, I'll be looking at what we need to do as parents to help our teens and tweens deal with tragedy and the fear it can cause. Events like the Newtown shootings, the Boston Marathon bombings, the attacks on the World Trade Center...they are real, and increasingly common events, and without the right context, they can elicit feelings of fear and unrest. We have comfort in the Gospel, and we know how the story ends. But it's hard to convey that to a confused teenager. Tune in as Nicole O'Dell offers five specific things you can do to help your kids with this issue.  

This week on Teen Talk (10:30), Gina Conroy and Nicole O'Dell on Dreaming Big

What are your wildest dreams? Does a dream equate to a calling from God? How can you tell the difference, and how can you make it happen? What is a dream detour and how can we cope with them?

Gina Conroy focuses on dreaming big and she’ll help you chase hard after those deep, heart desires that burn within you. And for those of you who haven’t quite figured out what your passions are just yet, Gina will help you do just that. Is okay to dream big–but it’s even better to put one foot in front of the other in hot pursuit of those dreams!

Then, Nicole O'Dell on dealing with Tragedy

In the second segment, I'm going to talk about tragedy. What you, as teens, can do about those tough things that happen in life. Death. Destruction. Terrorism. Loss. So many things that cause heartache and confusion. But there are answers! Tune in to find out what they are!