Praise for The Smart Girls Guide

to Mean Girls, Manicures

& Gods amazing Plan for Me
What do you get when someone writes a book for girls that contains life-changing, maybe even life-saving, advice? . . . Advice
that is rib-cracking funny, encouraging, and written in no nonsense
language? . . . You get a book that is a survival manual, a book that
I intend to give to every young girl in my family. A book every girl
of school age should read. You getThe Smart Girls Guide to Mean
Girls, Manicures & Gods Amazing Plan for Me.
Ken Davis, Author, Speaker, Comedian, Speaking Coach,
Grandfather of three young women who need this book NOW
To this day, I still have some horrible memories of how mean
teen girls can be to each other. I remember finding it hard to apply Gods Word to real life and real problemsand I wish I would
have had this book to help me back then! Kristin is so gifted at
combining humor with biblical teaching. She is my go-to source
for fun, relevance, and encouragement for teen girlsand this
book is just that!
Julie Elias, Christian Recording Artist and
Founder of the Aurora Conference

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TXT_SmartGirlsGuideMeanGirls.indd 2

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A n Impr int of B ar bour P ublishing, Inc.

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 2016 by Susie Shellenberger and Kristin Weber

Print ISBN 978-1-63409-713-0
eBook Editions:
Adobe Digital Edition (.epub) 978-1-63409-886-1
Kindle and MobiPocket Edition (.prc) 978-1-63409-887-8
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted for commercial
purposes, except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without written permission of the
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words or 5 percent of the entire book, whichever is less, and that the text is not material quoted
from another publisher. When reproducing text from this book, include the following credit
line: From The Smart Girls Guide to Mean Girls, Manicures, and Gods Amazing Plan for ME,
published by Barbour Publishing, Inc. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations marked esv are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version,
copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by
permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked

kjv

are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture quotations marked msg are from THE MESSAGE. Copyright by Eugene H. Peterson
1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing
Group.
Scripture quotations marked ncv are taken from the New Century Version of the Bible, copyright
2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked niv are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. niv.
Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved
worldwide.
Scripture quotations marked nkjv are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright
1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked nlt are taken from the Holy Bible. New Living Translation
copyright 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale
House Publishers, Inc. Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked nlv are taken from the New Life Version copyright 1969 and
2003. Used by permission of Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio, 44683. All rights
reserved.
Scripture quotations marked gnt are from the Good News Translation (Todays English Standard
Version, Second Edition) Copyright 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked tlb are taken from The Living Bible 1971. Used by permission of
Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
Cover Design: Greg Jackson, Thinkpen Design
Kristin Weber author photo by Brian Maloney
The author is represented by and this book is published in association with the literary agency of
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Published by Shiloh Run Press, an imprint of Barbour Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 719,
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Our mission is to publish and distribute inspirational products offering exceptional value and
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Printed in the United States of America.

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To my sist er Lea h.
I ded icat e
Tha nk you for sug ges ting
the boo k to you .
-Kr istin

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Ct
1.

Learn to Wait . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

2.

Eliminate Distractions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

3.

Know the Truth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

4.

Anchor Yourself to the Truth . . . . . . . . . . 20

5.

Get Rid of Your Pet Hippopotamuses . . . . . . 22

6.

Remember That Gods Will Cant Fail . . . . . 25

7.

Learn This Math Equation:

Grace + Mercy = Forgiveness . . . . . . . . . . 27

8.

Double-Check Your Motives . . . . . . . . . . . 29

9.

Stop Lying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

10.

Be a Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

11.

Keep Your Anger on a Tight Leash . . . . . . . 36

12.

Remember What Christ Has Done for You . . . 39

13.

Be Slap Happy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

14.

Learn to Deal with Mean Girls . . . . . . . . . . 45

15.

Dont Be a Mean Girl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48

16.

Pray for the Bullies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

17.

Stop Biting, Picking at, or Chewing Your Nails. . . 53

18.

Send Something through the Postal System. . . 55

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19. Practice Love . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

20. Start a Spiritual Journal. . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
21. Continue Your Spiritual Journal. . . . . . . . . 63
22. Persist, Persist, Persist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
23. Clean the Bathtub . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
24. Use Manners and Etiquette. . . . . . . . . . . 70
25. Grow Something Different. . . . . . . . . . . . 72
26. Believe in Angels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

75

27. Learn Something Musical . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

28. Supplement Your Faith with Virtue. . . . . . . 80
29. Supplement Your Virtue with Knowledge. . . . 82
30. Supplement Your Knowledge
with Self-Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
31. Supplement Your Self-Control
with Steadfastness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
32. Supplement Your Steadfastness
with Godliness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
33. Supplement Your Godliness with
Brotherly Affection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
34. Supplement Your Brotherly
Affection with Love. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
35. Make a Greeting Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
36. Try Something That Scares You. . . . . . . . . 97
37. Develop a Great Handshake. . . . . . . . . . . 99
38. Read Some Classic Literature. . . . . . . . . 102

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39. Learn to Write. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

40. Write a Childrens Story . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
41. Contribute to Your Community . . . . . . . .

110

42. Know to Whom You Belong . . . . . . . . . . . 112

43. Live Today as Though Its Your Last . . . . . . 114
44. Create a New Drink. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
45. Read the Entire Bible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
46. Study Even More Apologetics. . . . . . . . . 120
47. Take Notes in Church. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
48. Back Up Your Computer. . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
49. Protect Your Identity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
50. Create Your Own Holiday. . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
51. Buy a New Bra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
52. Keep Up with Current Events. . . . . . . . . . 135
53. Go a Day without Makeup. . . . . . . . . . . . 137
54. Step Away from the Mirror. . . . . . . . . . . . 139
55. Spend a Few Hours a Week Cleaning and
Reorganizing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
56. Polish Jewelry and Shine Shoes. . . . . . . . . 143
57. Iron Something. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
58. Know the Ten Commandments . . . . . . . . . 147
59. Practice the Ten Commandments. . . . . . .

149

60. Treat a Senior Citizen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

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61. Start Your Own Clique . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

62. Host a Back-to-Childhood Party. . . . . . . . . 156
63. Do the Dishes When Its Not Your Turn. . . . . 158
64. Seek Justice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
65. Learn about Human Trafficking. . . . . . . . . 162
66. Do Something about Human Trafficking. . .

164

67. Learn Good Theology, Part 1 . . . . . . . . .

166

68. Learn Good Theology, Part 2 . . . . . . . . .

168

69. Learn Good Theology, Part 3 . . . . . . . . .

170

70. Visit a Cemetery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172

71. Learn How to Discern Gods Will, Part 1. . . . 174
72. Learn How to Discern Gods Will, Part 2. . . . 176
73. Learn How to Discern Gods Will, Part 3. . . . 178
74. Learn How to Discern Gods Will, Part 4. . . 180
75. Make a Decision, Then Stop Stressing. . . .

182

76. Be Intentional. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

184

77. Be Flexible. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186

78. Dont Be Afraid to Talk to Guys. . . . . . . .

188

79. Put Down Your Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190

80. Learn to Give a Manicure . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
81. Learn How to Resist Temptation, Part 1. . . . 195
82. Learn How to Resist Temptation, Part 2. . . . 197
83. Trust God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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84. Make Everyone Feel Important . . . . . . . . 201

85. Become a Great Conversationalist . . . . . . 203
86. Give Guys a Break . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
87. Study the Book of Revelation. . . . . . . . . 207
88. Avoid Useless Arguments . . . . . . . . . . . 209
89. Be Kind Online . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
90. Meet a Talking Donkey. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
91. Try Fasting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
92. Determine to Persevere . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
93. Stay around People Who Sharpen You. . . . . 219
94. Be the Salt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
95. Learn to Praise God. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
96. Learn to Relax. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

225

97. Be Safe in Your Car. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

227

98. Call Someone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230

99. Chase Wisdom. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

232

100. Make Sure You Know. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

234

101. Make Sure They Know. . . . . . . . . . . . .

237

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1.

Learn to Wai
We dont have to wait for much in our culture.
We can communicate to anyone at any time, have popcorn in
three minutes, get custom-made food without leaving our car, watch
television shows downloaded on demand to any device we want, and
get most information at the click of a button.
The technological advancements of our time have made life
much easier, but because of them we have lost the ability to wait. We
want instant satisfaction and immediate results. Patience is no longer
in our vocabulary.
We even want God to give us what we want instantly. Sometimes,
though, God makes us wait for things. Since the beginning of the
world, God has made His people wait.
He promised a Savior in Genesis 3, but He didnt send Jesus for
thousands of years.
He made Abraham and Sarah wait many years after promising
them a child through which all nations would be blessed. (Fun fact:
Jesus came from the ancestry of Abraham, and every nation in the
world was blessed by what He did for us on the cross. Pretty cool,
huh?)
He made Joseph sit in jail for years for crimes he didnt
commit before Pharaoh honored him with the position of secondin-command.
God uses these times of waiting to shape us. To prepare us. To
mold us. To strengthen our character. To give us the ability to understand and empathize with people. To keep us from becoming spoiled.
To bring us closer to Him. To give us rest.
God also uses these times of waiting for His own glory. As stories
unfold and God shows up in seemingly impossible circumstances,
we see more of who God is and learn more about His character. We
realize that we are a small part of something much bigger than immediately getting our way.
Our timing is based on what we know now. Gods timing is based
12

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on knowing everything in the entire universe: yesterday, today, and

forever.
Waiting reminds us we arent the center of the universe.
Waiting reminds us that God is in control.
Waiting reminds us that a day is coming when we will no longer
wait. Our faith will become sight; sin will be no more, and well dwell
in a perfect world with God.
Kristin

From God:
And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.
(Psalm 39:7 esv)
Go aheadanswer:
What is something youve had to wait for? Was it worth it?
What are some other reasons God might make us wait for
something?
Are you struggling to be patient? Ask God to help you trust
in His timing.

From Kristin:

pat ienc e, so be pat ient with

It takes pat ienc e to get
I
to be pat ient . (Se e wha t
you rse lf as you lear n how
did the re? )

From Susie
:

Unless youre a hospita

l patient. Then you don
t
need to worry about bein
g patient, because you ca
n
just sleep all day. (See
what I did there?)
13

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2.

Eliminate Distractions
Are you a basketball fan? I live in Oklahoma, and Im a fanatic about
our pro Oklahoma City Thunder team. Ive been privileged to pray at
a few of their home games, and when I do that, Im given two free
tickets and complimentary parking to the game. I love taking a friend
and heading to downtown Oklahoma City to join the thousands of
other fans screaming their loudest for the team.
Being inside the arena is a multisensory experience! Of course,
theres the actual game to watch on the floor, but there are also a
myriad of other things vying for the fans attention: Rumble, the
mascot; the cheerleaders; the flashing advertisements on the circular
screens surrounding the top of the arena; T-shirts and giveaways being shot into the audience; the game on the giant screens; the camera shooting live shots of a variety of people in the audience; vendors
selling food and drinks; and a multitude of smells, from baked pretzels
to burgers to funnel cake fries; and on and on and on.
Even though Im a fan, Ive noticed that because of everything
thats vying for my attention, its easy to get distracted from the game
itself. During those moments, I have to remind myself that I came to
watch the gamenot to get caught up in all the excitement that surrounds me. If I want to discuss the game the next day with friends, I
need to stay focused on the main thing.
Lets carry this over into our spiritual lives. It can be easy for
Christians to get distracted from the main thing: an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. We can enjoy the trimmings of Christianity
so much that its easy to get so caught up in festivals, conferences,
T-shirts, church parties, retreats, and clubs that our focus on Christ
Himself tends to slip. We find ourselves zeroing in on the things surrounding Him instead of simply Him.
Discerning our distraction may be difficult, because the things
fighting for our attention are actually good things! They often enhance our relationship with Him. But lets carry this to the extreme: if
I attend a Thunder basketball game and get so carried away with the
14

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excitement of everything going on around me, I could actually leave

without ever knowing the score. Sounds silly, doesnt it?
The same thing often happens spiritually. Ive known some teens
who have been so into Christian stuff that theyve missed the actual Savior, Jesus Christ. Theyre excited about camp, car washes,
feeding the homeless, and Bible quizzing, but when you ask them
what Jesus is doing in their lives, they come up blank.
Lets keep the main thing the main thing. It hasand always will
beJesus Christ Himself!

Susie
From God:
Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing
our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the
joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame,
and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews
12:12 niv)
Go aheadanswer:

What easily distracts you from concentrating on Christ

alone?

What can you do to become more focused on your

relationship with Christ?

What is Christ currently teaching you?

15

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:
From Susie

od freed
the Old Testament? G
om
fr
tes
eli
ra
Is
e
th
r
be
Remem
uld give them their own
co
e
H
so
le
ru
il
ev
hs
it
them from Pharao
tes got distracted, and
eli
ra
Is
e
th
ut
B
.
nd
la
e
Land.
lush and fertil
s to get to the Promised
ar
ye
y
rt
fo
an
th
e
or
m
been said
took them
oses was their leader; its
M
e
us
ca
be
s
wa
it
be
(May
s!) If well
p and ask for direction
sto
to
e
lik
r
ve
ne
en
to
m
that
t ahead and allow God
gh
ai
str
lk
wa
y
pl
sim
.
remember to
nts us to be much sooner
wa
e
H
e
er
wh
t
ge
ll
we
guide us,

From Kristin
:
I do nt ge t dis
tracte d ve ry
ea sil y. On ce I
star t
so me th ing I fo
cu s un til I. . .

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3.

Know t he Trut
Have you ever had a test with true/false questions on it? Whats the
easiest way to know whats false?
By knowing whats true. Because the fastest way to spot a lie is to
know the truth.
There are many lies floating around in the world, some of them
pretty convincing: Jesus never claimed to be God. Youve sinned too
much for Jesus to love you. Youre not worth anything. Those are all
false statements that people will declare as truth.
If were going to combat these lies, we must learn whats true.
The best source of truth is the Bible, so lets see what the Bible has
to say about each of the above statements.
When people doubted that Jesus was indeed both God and man, He
told them, I and the Father are one (John 10:30 esv). (Thats one of
many places in the Bible where Jesus claimed divine authority.)
When you think youve sinned beyond what you believe can be
forgiven, know that God saved Paul, who murdered Christians for
their faith. He also promises that anyone who confesses his or her sin
is cleansed from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).
When youre tempted to believe youre not worth anything, remember that God cares about even the smallest birds and tells us, Fear
not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows (Matthew
10:31 esv). Were reminded later on that God proved how much He
cherishes us by giving up His own Son to die for us.
Kristin

From God:
Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. (John 17:17 esv)

17

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Go aheadanswer:
What are some lies that youve heard? How did you respond
to them?
How well can you spot something false?
What are some things you can do to recognize truth?

tin:
From Kris

he re s
a lo t of W
I us ed to do
,
ild
d
ch
a
neve r he ar
W he n I was
up if yo u ve
m
hi
k
oo
(L
he
le s.
on e, w re
Wal do pu zz
was th e la st
le
zz
pu
t
es
ha rd
ct ure w ith
of hi m .) T he
al do in a pi
e actu al W
th
nd
kn ew
fi
to
be tt er yo u
yo u ha d
Wal do s. T he
er
st
po
t of
im
ou
pi ck hi m
hu nd re ds of
er it was to
si
ea
e
th
,
al do
th e re al W
s.
of im po st er
d
ow
th e cr

From Susie:

So where is Waldo?
From Kristin:
It doe snt mat ter . Hes not
rea l.

From Susie:

So. . .Waldo died after you found him?

18

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From Kristin:
No! He didn t die. He was
just a gam e.

From Susie:

Hmm. Im thinking maybe hes lost and we

should start looking for him again.
from Kristin:
Ma ybe he s ha ng
ing wi th Ca rm en
Sa nd ieg o.
I neve r fo un d he
r eit he r.

19

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4.

Anchor Yourself to t he Trut

Lets put your truth-spotting skills to the test.
Heres a paraphrase of something I heard a pastor on television
say recently.
If you have enough faith, bad things wont happen to you. God
wants you to be happybut its up to you.
Whats wrong with this statement? Can you spot where this pastor might be leading people astray?
First, our level of faith doesnt determine what happens to us. Terrible things happen to very godly, faithful people. And wicked people
sometimes live easy, luxurious lives. In fact, Jesus assures us well
have trouble. Jesus was rejected and despised by people, and as His
followers we can expect the same to happen to us. (I promise this will
get more encouraging; just keep reading!)
The second statement, God wants you to be happy, is confusing. God wants you to be joyful. Those are two different things. (For
more on the difference between joy and happiness, see #13, Be Slap
Happy.)
Ask yourself the following questions:
1. Does this statement put control of my circumstances in my
hands? Or does it encourage me to trust Gods will?
2. Does the person saying this have a motive other than wanting
to preach Gods truth? (For example, is the person asking for
money on the television?)
3. What part of the Bible supports this claim? Was the scripture
used taken out of context?
Because there are so many false philosophies floating around,
its important for you not only to know the truth but also to anchor
yourself to the truth.
How can you anchor yourself to the truth?
By knowing, believing, and practicing the Word of God.
Take every thought, philosophy, and claim captive to what you
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know is true. Sometimes we dont like whats true and we want to

believe things that sound more enticing. Truth always wins, is always
on your side, and is the best weapon against Satans attacks.
If youre not sure, ask a parent, pastor, or someone who has a
track record for speaking the truth even when its not what people
prefer hearing. This will help you strengthen your beliefs.
Finally, apply what you know is true to your life.
Kristin

From God:
But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there
will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in
destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them,
bringing upon themselves swift destruction. (2 Peter 2:1 esv)
Go aheadanswer:
Can you think of any false teachings youve heard that
sounded convincing? How did you spot the lie?
Can you know the truth without believing it?
What are some ways you can live out the truth?

From Kristin
:
If yo ure no t su
re ab ou t so me
th ing yo uve he
pray in th at mo
ard,
me nt an d as k
Go d to give yo
wi sd om .
u

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