How I Stumbled Into Radio--by Nicole O'Dell

Why am I so thrilled to have YA author, Nicole O'dell on my blog today? Because I just read her newest novel, The Wishing Pearl, and wanted to help her share her great ministry to teens. She has a heart to help youth find their way in God's world so they can see Him unfold His Love and Joy through the gifts He gave each and every one of us.

Read, and see what I mean ...

  Big or small, major or minor, there's a moment before every decision when you can alter the course of your life. On Teen Talk Radio, where “It's all about choices!” I dive into topics like peer pressure, dating, purity, drugs, alcohol, modesty, popularity, decisions about the future, and many other things that might come up along the way. This show is for teens, about teens and with teens.

They tell me I'm a youth culture expert because I write books and speak to pre-teens, teens, and parents about how to prepare for life's tough choices. 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!

I kind of stumbled into the radio thing when I was looking for more platforms and avenues to be able to communicate with teens on a regular basis. I never set out to work in radio--never really thought about it. But over the past year and a half, I’ve really loved every minute of it. It’s been an amazing experience and clearly something the Lord led me to do.

How do I know what God wants me to do?

That’s a question I get asked quite often. It’s interesting to consider the questions surrounding God’s calling. How do we know? What if we mess up? What if we go the wrong direction?

The best advice I have for discovering what it is that God has for you to do is to move forward with the things you like and the things that interest you. He created you the way He did--with interests and passions unique only to you--for a reason. Explore them and let Him steer you as you put one foot in front of the other.

In my opinion, it’s better to make a mistake when you’re erring on the side of serving God, than to sit still and do nothing. The Holy Spirit will guide you when necessary if you remain open to Him.

There are a couple of Teen Talk Radio podcasts I’d like to recommend on the topic of teenagers finding their callings and working in their giftings:

Making your Faith your Own, with Alison Strobel, daughter of Lee Strobel

Teens Recoginzing God’s Call in their Lives, with Cara Putman

Teens Pursuing Big Dreams, with Lezlie Evans

 And remember...It’s all about choices!

Do you have any questions about this topic? Feel free to leave them in the comments!

... And come back next week to see more about Nicole's newest release, The Wishing Pearl. She shares how her own experience with Teen Challenge led her to write a series about a Christian home for girls. Very inspirational!

Nicole O’Dell, founder of Choose NOW Ministries is a youth culture expert, who writes and speaks to preteens, teenagers, and parents about how to prepare for life’s tough choices. She is the author of a bunch of YA books, including the popular Scenarios for Girls interactive fiction series and the upcoming Diamond Estates Series, 2011-2012. Non-fiction for teens includes Girl Talk, 2/1/12, which she wrote with her two daughters based on their popular blog column by the same name, and O’Dell’s desire to bridge the gap between parents and teens is eviden t in her adult non-fiction like the upcoming Hot Buttons series.

The host of Teen Talk Radio where “It’s all about choices!”, Nicole dives in on topics like peer pressure, dating, purity, drugs, alcohol, modesty, popularity, decisions about the future, and many other things that might come up along the way. Over the years, Nicole has worked as a youth director, a Bible study leader for women and teens, and a counselor at a crisis pregnancy center. She lives in Illinois with her husband, Wil and her six wonderful kids–including a set of toddler triplets.

Nicole O’Dell, Choose NOW Ministries

…battling peer pressure by tackling the tough issues