The Fresh 15: Journal Writing to Keep Connected to G-D

Don and Jen Deaton are parents of three teenage children. The oldest, Jadon, will be heading for his freshman year of college this fall. The Deatons, devout Baptists, discovered an unpleasant statistic: 66% of college students stop attending church. 

Throughout their married lives, the Deatons pursued their relationship with G-d teaching their children to rely on His grace and to move toward Him knowing He loved them. 

I’ve had the pleasure of knowing the Deaton children and have been impressed with their loving hearts and kindnesses towards others. Don and Jen Deaton did a wonderful job raising their children. 

Jadon, their oldest and only son, is off to college at the end of August. Will he join the 66% or will he embrace the learning he received growing up? The Fresh 15: Fifteen Days of Encouragement: A Journal will provide the initial impetus for the freshman to continue his/her path toward G-d. 

Each entry in this fifteen-day journal gives parenting advice followed by a quote from the Bible. The student has three pages to write their thoughts. For example, “Stay connected; for with him you can do anything. ABIDE in Jesus daily. This is followed by John 15:5: “I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” 

The Deatons provide the reader with inspirational biblical quotes and it’s up to the journal writer to integrate those ideas into their lives or write about their feelings about college life, being far away from home, and how it’s affecting them. 

If your children are about to leave the nest to find their way in the world, The Fresh 15 is the perfect gift to see them off.