OK, it's time for a confession. I do not have a single memory of praying in school when I was your age. I remember praying at home and in church. I remember sitting outside, making up worship songs and singing them to God.

Why can't I remember praying in school? Probably because I didn't. Schoolwork came easy for me. I actually enjoyed taking tests. (Don't laugh. I'm being honest here. I was a nerd before they invented the word.) I had boyfriends and two best friends. I played a saxophone in the band and worked in the school library.

I think the easy time I had was part of the problem. I worked hard and got positive results, so I thought the good things in school happened because of me, not God. For me, school was a separate section in my life that I could handle without God's help, thank you very much.

Don't get me wrong, I didn't skate through school. I had conflicts with other girls, heart-crushing break-ups, teachers that made me crazy, and assignments that seemed senseless. I also had a serious negative self-image problem. Nevertheless, I made no connection between God's desire to share every part of my life, my problems at school, and God's open door policy. (You know the policy where He is always available and He wants you to bring every issue in your life to Him.)

That was over 40 years ago. I know that you are more thoughtful about the things of God than I was. Attempting to live your life in separate compartments would increase stress to levels you refuse to allow. You're too smart for that. Instead, you follow God's commands and pray about everything. I applaud you for that.

I think, however, that one thing may not have changed between the times I was your age and now. That is finding the right words to pray. I can say that with some assurance because I sometimes said, "But I don't know what to pray!" I hear people still saying that today.

Let me tell you my secret. I look in the Bible when I don't know what to pray. I'll show you what I mean. Did you know that the Bible has a prayer about gossip?

Read this passage from THE MESSAGE, Psalm 35:20 & 21: "No good is going to come from that crowd; they spend all their time cooking up gossip against those who mind their own business. They open their mouths in ugly grins, mocking, "Ha-ha, ha-ha, thought you'd get away with it? We've caught you hands down!"

This is part of a prayer I wrote from Psalm 35: "Wake up, Lord, and reach out on my behalf. Give me justice and vindicate me, O Lord my God, according to Your righteousness. Do not let these hypocrites have the satisfaction of seeing their gossip destroy my reputation. Do not let me die by gossip!"

I challenge you to look in the Bible next time you want to talk to God about something in your life. Ask Him to show you Bible verses that you can pray back to Him. Those will be powerful prayers.

Note to Girls: The quote from the prayer Lynnda Ell wrote comes from: "Death by Gossip," a prayer in her new book, "Changing Me, Change the World." If you would like to have your name in a drawing for a free copy of her book, send us an email no later than February 28, 2010.

Lynnda Ell has been an active Christian for over 50 years She has three adult daughters and five grandchildren. She has had careers in accounting, direct sales, electrical engineering and writing. She lives and worships in New Orleans, LA. Check out Lynnda's blog.