Collision

YOUR KID'S FACEBOOK

2009-11-17T11:19:00.001-05:00

Here's a bit of wise counsel from Pastor Doug Wilson. Here's the upshot:

Wise parenting does not begin with the task of keep ing kids away from pornography or pot or shoplifting. If a parent is struggling with holding the line at these places, then it is likely that they did not offer direction and input on other less obvious issues much earlier. Parents have multiple opportunities to teach their children the difference between wisdom and folly when the stakes are much lower. For example, suppose an opportunity arises for your thir teen-year-old daughter to go to a slumber party, an event where the girls are likely to stay up until two in the morning accompanied by a tangle of unedifying gossip. Going to this event doesn’t break any of the Ten Commandments in an obvious way—all the girls are classmates in a Christian school—so what should Dad say? And if he says no, then how can he do it in such a way that his daughter comes to appreciate (within a day or so) his wise protection of her? Or let’s take an Internet analog of slumber parties, which would be something like Facebook.

I urge you to read the whole essay.

Atheism Remix: A Christian Confronts the New Atheists

2009-11-04T11:39:00.002-05:00

Christianbook.com has Albert Mohler's Book, Atheism Remix, on sale for only $3.99 this week. The book is short (112 pages) but is a helpful introduction to the new strand of atheists, who differ from their ancestors in their aggressive "evangelistic" approach to making converts, and for their vehement hostility to the Christian faith and religion in general.

Get the book here.

Read a few sample pages here.

Planned Parenthood Director Quits After Watching Abortion on Ultrasound

2009-11-03T11:48:00.000-05:00

The former director of a Planned Parenthood clinic in southeast Texas says she had a "change of heart" after watching an abortion last month — and she quit her job and joined a pro-life group in praying outside the facility.

Abby Johnson, 29, used to escort women from their cars to the clinic in the eight years she volunteered and worked for Planned Parenthood in Bryan, Texas. But she says she knew it was time to leave after she watched a fetus "crumple" as it was vacuumed out of a patient's uterus in September.

'When I was working at Planned Parenthood I was extremely pro-choice," Johnson toldFoxNews.com. But after seeing the internal workings of the procedure for the first time on an ultrasound monitor, "I would say there was a definite conversion in my heart ... a spiritual conversion."

Johnson said she became disillusioned with her job after her bosses pressured her for months to increase profits by performing more and more abortions, which cost patients between $505 and $695.

"Every meeting that we had was, 'We don't have enough money, we don't have enough money — we've got to keep these abortions coming,'" Johnson told FoxNews.com. "It's a very lucrative business and that's why they want to increase numbers."

Continue reading here...

New Jesus Movie

2009-10-28T12:53:00.002-04:00

And you can be a producer!

Check out this site to find out how you can become a contributor to a new Jesus movie being produced by Hollywood professionals.

Parenting Research

2009-10-28T12:49:00.003-04:00

Ed Stetzer is the head of Lifeway Research, the research arm of Lifeway publications. He posted the following announcement on his blog today:

"We recently contracted to do an analysis of successful parenting from a biblical perspective. As a researcher, this interests me. As a father, this has my full attention.

With the overwhelming amount of information and advice out there relating to raising children parents don't always know who's offering real wisdom. And as Christian parents we want to to raise children to become gospel-believing, Christ-centered, mission-focused, young adults. But, to whom do we listen?

Well, what we decided to do was to ask parents who have reared children who meet those characteristics. As such, we plan to survey 1000 parents of young adults who are following Christ. And, we want to ask them one simple question: what did you do?

In other words, we want to ask the parents of young adults who are following Jesus how they reared their children.

It is our plan to do these surveys over the next year. Our client will then write a book on the research and I will present the data first at the D6 Conference in Dallas next fall.

Here are some of the categories / questions we are planning to address:

Click here to read the rest.

Also, Dr. Stetzer is asking for feedback from parents regarding any additional topics that they feel would be beneficial from a statistical analysis perspective. So go check out the rest of the announcement and post a comment to encourage Dr. Stetzer and his team to research something that you have an interest in.

Midweek Markdowns at CBD

2009-10-28T11:50:00.002-04:00

Jesus: The Greatest Life Of All, by Chuck Swindoll for $7.99

The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith, by Tim Keller for $11.99

You can see all the Midweek Markdowns here.

The Case For Life

2009-10-27T13:16:00.002-04:00

A new pro-life website has been published and it looks really solid. The book that was published recently by the same name, The Case For Life, has been expanded into this website. The site describes the pro-life issue in terms of only one issue:

"The abortion controversy is not a debate between those who are pro-choice and those who are anti-choice. It's not about privacy or trusting women. To the contrary, the debate turns on one key question: What is the Unborn?"

The site includes pages detailing the scientific case, the philosophical case, the human value of life, what happens after abortion, and a discussion of mistakes that pro-life advocates frequently make. The site also has a helpful Q&A page and links to other pro-life sites.

Highly recommended! Check the new site out here at www.caseforlife.com.

Tech addiction 'harms learning'

2009-10-22T16:14:00.001-04:00

Technology addiction among young people is having a disruptive effect on their learning, researchers have warned.

Their report concluded that modern gadgets worsened pupils' spelling and concentration, encouraged plagiarism and disrupted lessons.

The study of 267 pupils aged 11 to 18 found 63% felt addicted to the internet and 53% to their mobile phones.

The research said technology drove a social lifestyle that involved a strong desire to keep in touch with friends.

The study - Techno Addicts: Young Person Addiction to Technology - was carried out by researchers at Cranfield School of Management, Northampton Business School and academic consultancy AJM Associates.

They used a written questionnaire to examine the nature and the volume of mobile phone calls and text messaging as well as computer use including e-mail, instant messaging and accessing social networking sites.

Three hours on the mobile

They found 62% first used or owned a computer before the age of eight, 80% first used the internet between the ages of five and 10, 58% first used a mobile phone between the ages of eight and 10 and 58% have had access to a social networking sites between the ages of eleven and 13.

Read the rest here.

Movie Trailer Bait and Switch

2009-10-22T16:04:00.001-04:00

Sucker-punched at the theater

Most parents are careful about checking MPAA ratings before taking their children to the movies. But thanks to an unannounced change, they might be noticing some unpleasant surprises at the Cineplex. Since April 2009, movie previews are no longer approved for all audiences.

The Motion Picture Association of America's Classification and Ratings Board substantially changed its policy earlier this year so that promotional clips from upcoming films no longer need to be suitable for "general" audiences. The change went into effect without any announcement or opportunity to comment.

An unannounced switch

Before the policy switch in April, any trailer displaying a "green band" (the green screen that shows before the preview starts) in theory couldn't include anything inappropriate for general audiences. A green-band trailer could, at the most, imply that the movie it was promoting had violence, strong language, nudity, drug use, or other mature content.

Now the green-band trailer language has been switched from "approved for all audiences" to the much vaguer "approved for appropriate audiences." But there's no indication of who the appropriate audience might be.

In addition, the MPAA's new policy is misleading. The trailer for the comedy Extract (rated R for "language, sexual references and some drug use") inexplicably still carries the original green-band "approved for all audiences" language, even though the promo clip includes references to the male anatomy, marital sexual frustration, and marijuana smoking.

What you can do

To express your concerns about this change and ask that trailers reveal their rating, contact:

Chairman/CEO Dan Glickman

MPAA

1600 Eye St., NW

Washington, DC 20006

(202) 293-1966 (main)

(202) 296-7410 (fax)

Interracial Couple Denied Marriage License

2009-10-22T11:43:00.001-04:00

From Denny Burk's blog:

The Associated Press reports that a Justice of the Peace in Hammond, Louisiana has denied a marriage license to an interracial couple. The Judge says that he is not a racist, but that he has good reason for withholding the license:

“I do ceremonies for black couples right here in my house… My main concern is for the children… I don’t do interracial marriages because I don’t want to put children in a situation they didn’t bring on themselves… In my heart, I feel the children will later suffer… I try to treat everyone equally.”

The ACLU is already all over this case, and I think it’s fair to say that there will be legal ramifications for this judge’s stupid decision. What interests me, however, is not so much the law but the morality of the whole affair. There is much that could be said, but let me offer here just a couple of quick thoughts.

The Bible teaches that Christ is reconciling into one body every tribe, tongue, people, and nation (Matt 28:19-20; Acts 10:34-35; 1 Cor 12:13; Gal 3:28; Eph 2:16; Col 3:11; Rev 5:9). That means that all the old racial differences that divide the rest of humanity are not supposed to divide Christians. In other words, the Christian gospel obliterates racism of every form. In the current case, the judge’s decision is at best an accommodation to the very racism that the gospel forbids. [See John Piper's 2005 sermon on interracial marriage for a fuller treatment of this topic.]

One final thing. A prediction, actually. If this story has legs, then you can expect for some people to draw comparisons between it and current debates over the definition of marriage. Critics will argue that the same bigotry driving the case in Louisiana is what motivates people to oppose same-sex “marriage.” The comparison, however, does not hold up. The Bible celebrates the diversity of human races. It does not, however, celebrate homosexual behavior. In fact, it emphatically condemns it (Lev 18:22; Rom 1:26-27; 1 Cor 6:9; 1 Timothy 1:10).

I’m certain that we haven’t heard the end of the story in Louisiana. We’ll be paying close attention to this one.

Time to Separate Church and Sports? A New Agenda Takes Shape

2009-10-22T11:41:00.000-04:00

Sam Cook has had enough. A sports columnist for theFort Myers [FL] News-Press, Cook recently referred to quarterback Tim Tebow of the University of Florida Gators and told his readers: "I don't know how many more 'God bless' comments I can stand from the 2007 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback." Tebow, Cook argued, should play football and forget about his religious beliefs while he is wearing the Gator uniform.

"Somehow, we'll survive without him displaying a 'John 3:16' Bible verse under his eyes," Cook wrote. "We separate church and state. Why not church and sports?"

Sam Cook's column was prompted by a far more prominent essay published in Monday's edition of USA Today. In "And I'd Like to Thank God Almighty," Tom Krattenmaker leveled a comprehensive critique of the evangelical Christian message that, as he laments, permeates so much of the sporting world at both the college and professional levels.

The Bible verses painted in eye-black, fingers pointed heavenward, and expressions of thankfulness to God at the conclusion of a big game amount, Krattenmaker argues, to "a faith surge that has made big-time sports one of the most outwardly religious sectors of American culture."

Read the rest here.

Christian College Students and Social Networking

2009-10-21T12:10:00.000-04:00

Christian college students are big into social media. A new study done by professors at Gordon College, a Christian Liberal Arts college in Boston, MA, shows that over 30% of Christian college students spend 1-2 hours a day on Facebook alone, with 12% percent going at it for 2-4 hours each day. If you add in Twitter, email, texting, and popular websites we're looking at a significant investment in the internet in general and social media in particular. But what does it all mean? That's what Bryan C. Auday, professor of psychology, and Sybil Coleman, professor of social work wanted to find out.

The study, "Pulling Off the Mask: The Impact of Social Networking Activities on Evangelical Christian College Students . . . A Self-Reported Study" was released last month and is the only one of its kind to target and give voice specifically to evangelical Christian college students and their relationship to social media usage.

"We'd received enough anecdotal evidence from college students to raise some red flags about these issues," said Coleman. "But we felt it was crucial to gather scientific data from students about both the benefits and concerns (of usage) if we were going to get a clearer picture about how we could best respond."

Read the rest here.

Generational Perspectives on Scripture

2009-10-21T12:08:00.001-04:00

"Kids these days."

The Barna Group has released a new study that explores the how different generations of American adults view and use the Bible. And guess what - it turns out perspectives are different!

Barna groups those surveyed into four generations, broken down as follows: the Mosaic generation refers to adults who are currently ages 18 to 25; Busters are those ages 26 to 44; Boomers are 45 to 63; and Elders are 64-plus.

Not everything is wildly different between these generations. In fact "a majority of each of the four generations believes that the Bible is a sacred or holy book." Shocking. Ok, not really. But another commonality is that "millions within each of the generations report reading the pages of Scripture in the last week." That is more interesting to me.

Read the rest of the report.

Perspectives

2009-10-21T11:37:00.002-04:00

Pretty sweet video on what God can do right here.

Counterfeit Gods

2009-10-21T11:00:00.003-04:00

Tim Keller is one of my favorite authors, and his new book, Counterfeit Gods, is now available. You can watch a brief (1:40) video of Keller explaining why he wrote the book and who he wrote it for here. The book is available for purchase here and here.

How Much Do You Have to Hate Somebody to Not Proselytize?

2009-10-15T10:31:00.000-04:00

I found this in Kevin Harney’s new book, Organic Outreach for Ordinary People: Sharing Good News Naturally (pages 54-55). It’s a great reminder of why we should not be embarrassed to say we are interested in conversions and why there is no shame, but love, in a winsome effort to win someone to Christ.

*****

If we believe there is a real heaven and a real hell, we should be moved to evangelize and to reach out in the name of Jesus. If we love people, our hearts should propel us. I heard one of the most convincing arguments for this from an atheist. His name is Penn, the well-known illusionist in the duo Penn and Teller. On his video blog, Penn Says, he tells about a man who came to him after a show and gave him a Bible and tried to proselytize him [Note: you can watch the video on YouTube, but the embedding was disabled so I couldn't post it]. Here is a portion of his response to that encounter [the rest is Penn telling the story]:

He said, “I’m a businessman. I’m sane; I’m not crazy.” And he looked me right in the eye and did all this. And it was really wonderful. I believe he knew that I was an atheist.

But he was not defensive and he looked me right in the eyes and he was truly complimentary. It did not seem like empty flattery. He was really kind, and nice, and sane, and looked me in the eyes and talked to me. Then he gave me this Bible.

I’ve always said that I don’t respect people who don’t proselytize. I don’t respect that at all. If you believe that there’s a heaven and a hell, and people could be going to hell or not getting eternal life, and you think that it’s not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward–and atheists who think people shouldn’t proselytize and who say just leave me along and keep your religion to yourself–how much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize? How much do you have to hate somebody to believe everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?

I mean, if I believed, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that a truck was coming at you, and you didn’t believe that truck was bearing down on you, there is a certain point where I tackle you. And this is more important than that.

Parents, Obey Your Children

2009-10-14T12:20:00.000-04:00

Literary critic Lionel Trilling once referred to "the dark and bloody crossroads where literature and politics meet." In reality, almost all literature is political in some sense. Oddly enough, the most explicitly subversive literature is often presented to the very youngest among us -- our children. Far too many parents seem not to notice.

In "The Defiant Ones," a recent essay published in the New Yorker, Daniel Zalewski argues that picture books for children now reflect a world turned upside down in terms of the relationship between parent and child. As he explains, in the newest picture books for children, the kids are solidly in charge.

In this sense, the books we read to our children reflect the cultural values of our age. Inescapably, these narratives for children reveal far more than a storyline. Indeed, the books tell us more than we may want to know about the tenor of our times.

Continue reading here...

While Adolescents May Reason As Well As Adults, Their Emotional Maturity Lags, Says New Research

2009-10-14T12:14:00.000-04:00

"Adolescents likely possess the necessary intellectual skills to make informed choices about terminating a pregnancy but may lack the social and emotional maturity to control impulses, resist peer pressure and fully appreciate the riskiness of dangerous decisions," said Laurence Steinberg, PhD, a professor of developmental psychology at Temple University and lead author of the study. "This immaturity mitigates their criminal responsibility."

The findings appear in the October issue of American Psychologist, published by the American Psychological Association.

Steinberg and his co-authors address this seeming contradiction in a study showing that cognitive and emotional abilities mature at different rates. They recruited 935 10- to 30- year-olds to examine age differences in a variety of cognitive and psychosocial capacities.

Continue reading here...

Winter Trip

2009-10-12T12:39:00.003-04:00

Hey guys- just wanted to throw out another reminder that the deadline for Winter Trip sign up and $75 deposit is this Sunday, October 18.

Students need to have a parent or legal guardian sign the financial agreement form and turn that in along with the $75 deposit.

What is ‘success’ in parenting teens?

2009-10-12T12:36:00.001-04:00

What sort of goals should a parent have as their children reach the teenage years?

Unfortunately, western culture has had a terribly cynical view of the teen years. It’s a view that is largely biologically based. People tend to see teenagers as a collection of raging, rebel hormones encased in skin. Of course, the idea is that you can’t talk to a hormone. I read someone who put it very well. He said that if you add the word “teenage” to any other word, it becomes a negative. Take “teenage driver.” That’s a simple instance of how this particular age group attracts cynicism.

The problem with this way of looking at teens is that it’s a subtle denial of the Gospel. Actually, what we’re really saying is that there’s a class of people for whom the Gospel won’t work. That’s a devastating theology. My experience is that when parents buy into that view of the Gospel for their teenagers, it begins to bleed over into other relationships. They begin to have doubts about whether Christ can reach all sorts of people.

That means that simply surviving your teens is not enough of a goal. In a sense, having survival as a goal is selfish because it’s focused simply on getting yourself through a difficult time. The other problem with having survival as a goal is that, as parents, we tend to settle for external, behaviorist sorts of goals.

Read the rest of the post here...

Silent Day

2009-09-30T16:48:00.004-04:00

Hey guys- here's a sweet opportunity that's coming up again to put your faith on the frontlines for your friends, teachers, and families to see.

Stand True, a pro-life organization, is sponsoring and promoting the Day of Silent Solidarity, which they use to promote awareness of abortion and the pro-life movement. You can visit their website for more information about their organization and the Day of Silent Solidarity. Please visit Silent Day's website to register your school for this massive nation-wide event. There are already over 2,000 schools registered for participation- make yours one of them!!!

You know that we are very supportive of the pro-life movement and we want to help get this message into the schools, so here's what we're doing: If you want an official Silent Day t-shirt, you can purchase them through us at the discounted rate of just $5!!! There are two t-shirt designs for this year which you can view here. We want you to have these shirts by Sunday, October 18, so you can wear them and let the church know what you're participating in, so please sign up and pay by Wednesday, October 7 on the sign-up sheet in the Crash Room.

Fall and Winter Schedule

2009-09-22T12:45:00.003-04:00

Here's a brief summary of dates and events that are coming up this fall. This information is also available on the church calendar which can be accessed by following the link above.

October 10- Party at the Underground in Cincinnati. High School only (their rules, not mine). Cost is $8. Local music, pool, foosball, shuffleboard, food, drinks, video games. We'll leave the church at 7p and return at midnight.

October 25- Paintball at Cedar Ridge in Germantown. Cost is $20. This includes rental gun, mask, air, and paintballs for the day. We'll leave right after church, stopping for lunch at MacDonalds in Germantown, and finish playing around 5:15. Parents will need to pick up their students at the paintball course by 5:30. Sign-up and payment deadline is Sunday, October 18.

November 20- Lock-In at the church. Price TBD. Will start at 10p on Friday night, conclude at 8a Saturday morning. We'll provide dinner and breakfast in the morning as well as snacks and drinks all night.

December 12- Ugly Christmas Sweater party. This party will begin shortly after the ending of the Christmas Musical and will take place downstairs in the youth room. There is no cost for this event. The party will end around 11p.

December 27, 2009 - January 2, 2010- Winter Trip. We're going to Florida! Cost is $150 and the sign-up deadline for this trip is Sunday, October 18th. A $75 deposit is also due 10/18 along with a signed permission form/financial agreement, which are available in the youth room. Information sheets also available in the youth room detailing the where's what's and when's of the trip.

Screwtape Letters

2009-09-22T12:32:00.004-04:00

C.S. Lewis' fictional account of a senior demon giving advice to an apprentice demon contains tremendous insight into the nature and design of temptation. Focus on the Family's radio ministry is producing a theatrical audio presentation of Lewis' The Screwtape Letters, coming October 15, 2009.

Lord of the Rings fans will be delighted to know that Andy Serkis, who provided the voice for Gollum, will star as the voice of Screwtape, the senior demon in the narrative.

Visit the official website, www.Screwtape.com, for more information and pre-release ordering information.

Focus on the Family has released a 7 minute behind-the-scenes sneak peek.

Winter Trip

2009-09-17T15:29:00.003-04:00

Hey all- we have nailed down dates and a location for Winter Trip this year. We're going to Florida!!! This entails a longer trip than we usually take, so we're moving back to Christmas Break for this year's trip. We'll be leaving on Sunday, December 27, and returning on Saturday, January 2. The cost for the trip will be coming soon (hopefully by Sunday). A non-refundable deposit will be due around the middle of October and the payment balance deadline will be Sunday, December 13th.

We are staying at the Beach Club of Marco Island, which is just south of Naples, FL. Students will stay in either a 4 or 6 person condo. An adult chaperone will be in or next to every condo unit, and we will let you know as soon as possible who the adult chaperones are.

Students who participated in last February's Winter Trip still have valid Medical Release Forms (MRF) on file at the church for 2009, but since our trip extends into 2010 we will be needing an additional MRF for 2010 from each student going on the trip.

Further details and information forthcoming soon...

Increasing Resilience for Hurting Kids

2009-09-09T11:49:00.002-04:00

Our kids face obstacles every day — difficulties with friends, stress at school, issues with boyfriends or girlfriends.

But many of the students we work with also face larger obstacles-poverty, violence at school or in their neighborhood, parents getting divorced, substance abuse in their homes, homelessness, teenage pregnancy, abuse, or domestic violence. Remarkably, some kids seem to make it through these situations intact, while others crumble before our eyes.

Even more remarkably, there are kids who even thrive despite facing huge struggles. Which leaves us scratching our heads — Why are some kids able to bounce back from tough stuff, while others aren’t? What are the differences between those who seem to make it through in one piece and those who seem to fall apart? And what can we do to help more kids survive — and even thrive — in the midst of steep challenges?

Continue reading here...

‘Sex’ and ‘porn’ make top 10 of kids’ online searches

2009-09-09T11:13:00.004-04:00

The top 10 search list for OnlineFamily.Norton is as follows:

1. YouTube

2. Google

3. Facebook

4. Sex

5. MySpace

6. Porn

7. Yahoo

8. Michael Jackson

9. Fred (A popular fictional character whose YouTube channel has become a hit among kids.)

10. eBay

By the way, I checked out “Fred” on YouTube and realized that I had seen the character before on an episode of the Nickelodeon series iCarly (and I don’t know if that made me feel any better). In a related story, the Orlando Sentinel published a front page article yesterday about kids’ online habits and the disconnection between what they’re up to and what their parents think their up to.

Read the rest of the report here...

What parents think teens are doing on social networks, and what the teens are actually doing

2009-09-09T10:51:00.001-04:00

Here's a sample of the new report's findings:

37% of teens said they used social networks to make fun of other students, but only 18% of parents believe their own angels do so.
13% of teens said they posted naked or semi-naked photos or videos of themselves. Only 2% of parents said their kids have done that.
24% of teens said they signed on to someone else's account without permission, while only 4% of parents said their kids have done that.
28% of teens posted personal information that they normally would not have revealed in public, but 16% of parents said their kids did that.

Read the rest here...

Twitter and the end of the world as we know it

2009-09-08T16:38:00.002-04:00

Is our culture systematically training young people in narcissism? I mean, are the music, film, and video games they love subtly undergirding an “it’s all about me” worldview? For example, nothing has fueled the pre-teen worldview more than two made-for-TV Disney films—the High School Musical franchise and Camp Rock. You’d couldn’t find two more narcissistic launching pads for the kids who’ll be entering your ministry soon.

Read the full article here...

Making Peace In Our Families

2009-09-03T13:44:00.002-04:00

I was not raised in a Christian family. My first real encounter with Bible reading was as a child, with a pocket-sized King James New Testament my grandmother had given me. It had been collecting dust on a shelf, until a vague curiosity compelled me to read it. Not knowing where else to begin, I opened to the gospel of Matthew. The antiquated language, together with the unpronounceable names of the genealogies, almost made me give up. But I pressed on. The familiarity of the Christmas story, at least, was comforting.

I came to rest in the Sermon on the Mount. Some of the sermon made sense, though I struggled with it as generations of Christians have — aren’t these impossibly high standards for mere mortals? They certainly seemed beyond the reach of a preadolescent boy with no background in theology.

The Beatitudes, however, especially the first four and the one about rejoicing in persecution, simply seemed odd. What did it mean that those who were poor in spirit, mourning, meek, and hungering and thirsting could be blessed by God? I did not have any knowledge of the Old Testament or the prophets. I could not hear the text as a post-exilic Jew might, with the words of Isaiah echoing in the background.

Yet this is how we must hear the text if we are to understand the nature of the kingdom Jesus inaugurated, the theological and social context in which we practice peacemaking.

Continue reading here...

Great Sales at christianbook.com

2009-09-02T11:11:00.003-04:00

Hey guys- just wanted to pass along a few great resources that are heavily marked down until tomorrow night at www.christianbook.com:

Boundaries, by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend, for $5.99. For years Drs. Cloud and Townsend have been teaching people how to set personal boundaries. Here they give you the biblical basis for setting limits, explain how to construct your own, and show how boundaries can be damaged. Discover methods for dealing with abusive or controlling people and keys for gaining control of your life!

Knowing God, by J.I. Packer, for $7.99 J. I. Packer's Knowing God has become a classic of the Christian faith. Why? While it gives us information about God with clarity and grace, it does much more---it aids us in actually knowing him, in building our relationship with him, and helps draw us closer to him in love and worship. This 20th anniversary edition of Packer's classic has new Americanized text, reader-friendly type, and a new preface. Study guide not included.

The Case For Life, by Scott Klusendorf, for $9.99. Do you find it difficult to articulate your stand on hot-button issues like abortion, cloning, and embryo research? Take heart! Klusenberg shows you how to effectively make a case for the unborn. Discover how to engage others in this biotech debate, answer objections persuasively, and equip pastors and laypeople to defend their views.

Our Adolescent Culture: Where are the grownups?

2009-08-31T15:59:00.001-04:00

“There was a time, literally, when there were no teenagers.”

What Diana West is suggesting in The Death of the Grown-Up: How America’s Arrested Development Threatens Western Civilization will undoubtedly sound ridiculous to thousands of youth pastors, family therapists, and advertising gurus whose livelihoods depend on entertaining, counseling, and selling to teenagers.

Nevertheless, West argues that adolescence didn’t always exist. In fact, it is a quite recent phenomenon. The word “teenager” wasn’t really used until 1941, after all. In virtually every other culture in the history of the world prior to late 20th century Western culture, kids became adults. Not so anymore. They now become teenagers, or, to put it in more sociologically acceptable terms, they become adolescents.

THE CREATION OF THE TEENAGER

What happened to bring about this new stage in human development? The sexual revolution and political upheavals of the ‘60s are, of course, the most obvious suspects. However, West suggests a number of other things, some earlier than the ‘60s: a generation of disconnected fathers trying to deal with what they experienced during WWII, factories which once produced necessities for war began producing non-necessities for consumption, new marketing engines selling these goods to people who didn’t realize they wanted them, Chubby Checker’s Twist, Elvis’ hips, the Beatles’ hair, automobiles—perhaps more than one—in every home, the growth of Hollywood, and the recognition by the marketing engines of the fortune to be made from this brand new segment of the population.

Continue reading here...HIGHLY SUGGESTED!!!

Teens Texting and Driving

2009-08-31T15:42:00.002-04:00

When I first saw a New York Times photo of a teen texting while driving, I had assumed it was just a photo illustration. The picture showed the driver texting with both hands — a youth in the passenger seat was steadying the wheel. The spedometer visible in the photo suggested the car was moving at 60 miles per hour. It was too crazy and too horrible to be real.

But I learned this weekend that the photo is real — captured by coincidence while a Times photographer working on an unrelated story was riding in the back seat.

Public Editor Clark Hoyt explored the origins of the photo in his latest column, A Dramatic Photo: Was It Real?

The photographer, Dan Gill, a freelancer, took the picture last November while on assignment for The Times for an entirely different story – an H.I.V. scare at a St. Louis high school. He said the picture was not staged and that he was just doing what Times editors asked: recording the lives of some students at the school.

Continue reading here...

Life Hurts God Heals

2009-08-25T15:36:00.004-04:00

I realized that I had overbooked the fall schedules of myself, the volunteers helping me out, and the students, so we're moving LHGH to Wednesday nights from 6:30-8:30 beginning Wednesday, September 16.

This study will conclude Wednesday, December 9, with a party which all parents are invited to attend.

Also, High School students need to turn in their permission slips by this Sunday, August 30, along with $5 to participate in the in-home study on sex and sexuality that begins Sunday, September 13 and concludes Sunday, November 22. Guys will be meeting from 6-8p at Darvin and Karen Green's house and will be led in discussion and bible study by Dustin and Jared. Girls will be meeting from 6-8p at Dustin and Rachel's house and will be led in discussion and bible study by Rachel and Lacey.

Teens losing sleep to electronic distractions

2009-08-19T14:18:00.001-04:00

To many parents, text messaging is an enigma -- a practice their children engage in when they could just make a phone call or walk down the street to their friends' houses. It seems to be a strange but harmless means of communication.

What most don't know is that too much texting can be detrimental to their teens' health. That's because new technologies, such as cell phones and social networking sites, give teens easy access to their friends 24 hours a day.

"The more technology we develop, the more we rely on technology," said Dr. Myrza Perez, a pediatric pulmonologist in California. A specialist in sleep disorders, she says "before technology, we went to sleep when the sun went down. Now, with all these distractions, teenagers alone in their rooms stay up to extremely late hours on their cell phones and computers. Their parents have no idea."

Continue reading here...

Pregnancies & Sexually Transmitted Diseases on the Rise Among Teens

2009-08-19T14:05:00.003-04:00

More teenagers and young adults are having sex, sparking an increase in teen births in both 2006 and 2007, and putting an end to more than a decade of significant decline. In fact, nearly three quarters of a million pregnancies occurred among American females under the age of 20 in 2004 that reversed the downward trend from 1991 to 2004.

To make matters work, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among young Americans are also on the rise. The annual rate of AIDS cases among boys ages 15 to 19 has almost doubled over the past decade, while the number of syphilis diagnoses are up among both teens and young adults. In addition, almost a quarter of teen girls aged 15 to 19 were infected with a human papilomavirus (HPV) from 2003 to 2004, as were almost half of young women between the ages of 20 and 25.

Continue reading here...

Did Miley Miss the Mark?

2009-08-19T12:57:00.001-04:00

Would you say that Miley Cyrus was overtaken by a fault with her performance at the Teen Choice Awards? In my opinion...yes. That outfit/dance is not something I would put in the whole "honoring God" category - especially for a pre-teen role model who openly said to a fan, "I sing, dance and act for Jesus! ... Now that I think about it, I do everything for Jesus..."

What is interesting when stuff like this happens (i.e. big-time Christian hits big-time controversy) is that it usually reveals what kind of Christians we are.

What do I mean? Well, if you noticed, there have been three basic reactions to the Cyrus situation - and I believe only one of them honors God.

The first is a 'whole lotta judging' going on. You know - 'How could she?' and "I don't think she's really a Christian' and much more superiority-sounding "blah blah blah."

Read the rest here...

Think digital cheating is something only other parents’ kids do? Think again.

2009-08-18T12:40:00.002-04:00

Common Sense Media’s groundbreaking new study, conducted in partnership with The Benenson Strategy Group, reveals that cheating via cell phones and the Internet is more widespread than parents might assume. More importantly, many students don’t consider what they’re doing to be cheating.

Continue reading here...

Fall Ministry

2009-08-18T10:43:00.002-04:00

Here's a (not-so) short summary of what we've got going on for this fall.

Sunday nights, starting September 13th, the high school students can participate in an in-home study on sex and sexuality. Letters were sent home to all parents of High School students informing you of this opportunity. If you haven't seen the letter, we have copies of it downstairs in the Crash Room. We are asking that parents sign the permission slip and give permission for their students to participate. The book that we'll be using is $5. Guys will be meeting on Sunday nights from 6-7:30 at Darvin and Karen Green's house on the corner of Union Road and 725. Girls will be meeting at Dustin and Rachel's house in Germantown, same night and time. Permission slips need to be turned in by Sunday, August 30, so we can order the books and have them come in in time for our study.

Wednesday nights are planned out until Christmas. We will be doing a series of 3 separate Bible studies throughout the fall, punctuated by service projects and game nights.

Our mentoring program, Life Hurts God Heals, is also in the works. This counseling ministry is designed to help students who are dealing with pain in life from abuse, cutting, addictions, anger, etc...There are several caring Christian adults who are being prepared to lead small groups of students through an 8-step recovery process that will span 13 weeks, beginning September 14. This ministry is available to middle and high school students, and the small groups will be divided according to age and gender. Monday nights are tentatively scheduled as the night that these groups will meet, but we are still working to make that a sure thing. We will be sending out a letter to parents informing you of this ministry which we are praying God will use to bring healing and stability into the turbulent life of teenagers.

Ok. That's all for now. We are scheduling the normal monthly activities for the fall too and will post them on here as soon as they are set in stone.

Winter Trip details are also coming soon, so check back in...

LG Translates Teen Texts For Parents

2009-08-03T18:20:00.001-04:00

Parents who are having trouble understanding what their teens are saying to each other via text messages have a new resource for translation. LG Mobile Phones has set up a new Web site, www.LGDTXTR.com, that gives the meaning of more than 2,000 popular text abbreviations, such as MOS (mom over shoulder), PRW (parents are watching) and RUSOS (are you in trouble).

"Teens are constantly creating new ways to communicate, and while texting is not a new phenomenon, the unique shorthand phrases that have been created as a result are growing daily," stated Ehtisham Rabbani, vice president of product strategy and marketing for LG Mobile Phones, in a statement. "LG DTXTR (detexter) is a tool to keep everyone -- young and old -- current with the language, and as it grows, it enhances our understanding of what's important to teenagers."

LG Will update the ever-expanding site glossary through user-submitted terms and translations and other means.

Setting Computer Limits Tips

2009-08-03T18:15:00.002-04:00

How much is too much time online?

Computer addiction is tough to define. When your child spends a large amount of time at the computer, are they addicted or do they simply enjoy being online? Perhaps it’s easier to frame it like this: Can your child enjoy himself – and all those things that aren’t online – when he’s away from the computer? If you’re not sure, just start observing his computer habits and moods.

What is it?

All kids have trouble turning off the computer. Instant Messaging with friends seems so important, games like Runescape and World of Warcraft capture players’ attention and time, a lot of it. And virtual worlds like Club Penguin orTeen Second Life can be equally engrossing. But some kids go beyond procrastinating – they just can’t turn the computer off. You can tell the difference in how a child acts when the computer is taken away – withdrawn, moody, and uncommunicative. (Not the usual teen sulk, but a condition that goes away when your child is back online.)

Why it matters

The part of kids’ brains that contain mental off-switches aren’t fully developed until kids reach their early 20s. That means they need rules and structure to help them turn off the computer. Developing children need to be able to have real lives independent of their cyber ones to fully develop socially, emotionally, and even physically. While some kids may blossom in the freedom and anonymity of online lives, they also need the interpersonal skills that online life can’t provide.

Computer dependency can also mask problems kids are having in the real world. Dr. Maressa Hecht Orzack, director of the Computer Addiction Study Center at Boston’s McLean Hospital, says she sees concerned parents – and their kids, mostly boys 11 to 19 – who think their kids are addicted. These kids aren’t developing the coping mechanisms they will need to live life happily and successfully.

Continue reading here...

For Teenagers, Hello Means ‘How About a Hug?’

2009-08-03T18:11:00.003-04:00

There is so much hugging at Pascack Hills High School in Montvale, N.J., that students have broken down the hugs by type:

There is the basic friend hug, probably the most popular, and the bear hug, of course. But now there is also the bear claw, when a boy embraces a girl awkwardly with his elbows poking out.

There is the hug that starts with a high-five, then moves into a fist bump, followed by a slap on the back and an embrace.

There’s the shake and lean; the hug from behind; and, the newest addition, the triple — any combination of three girls and boys hugging at once.

“We’re not afraid, we just get in and hug,” said Danny Schneider, a junior at the school, where hallway hugging began shortly after 7 a.m. on a recent morning as students arrived. “The guy friends, we don’t care. You just get right in there and jump in.”

There are romantic hugs, too, but that is not what these teenagers are talking about.

Girls embracing girls, girls embracing boys, boys embracing each other — the hug has become the favorite social greeting when teenagers meet or part these days. Teachers joke about “one hour” and “six hour” hugs, saying that students hug one another all day as if they were separated for the entire summer.

Continue reading here...

Clearance sale at Abort73

2009-07-22T11:43:00.002-04:00

They just put several new shirts on their clearance section at their website store- check it out here.

Be a man

2009-07-21T13:20:00.002-04:00

Here's a link to a series of blog posts on what Christian men should be like. The author's thesis is that church has effeminized faith and practice, in large part due to the decreasing numbers of men in attendance across the world-wide church. He argues that men should practice Christianity as men and that there is a masculine character intrinsic in the example that Jesus left for us.

Click here to go to the first post in the series, from which you can find the other posts.

How do we raise kids in a pornified culture?

2009-07-21T12:56:00.002-04:00

We live in a pornified culture. So how do we raise sane, healthy children in this cesspool? What do you think?

Click here to read 8 suggestions on how to raise healthy children to have a healthy perspective on sex.

How to be 16 and Innocent

2009-07-21T11:09:00.002-04:00

Does anyone find it just a little bit odd and humorously ironic that the show about the negative consequences on unwed and unwanted pregnancies is aired on MTV???

Just to put it in perspective:

In 171 hours of MTV programming, analysts found 1,548 sexual scenes containing 3,056 depictions of sex or various forms of nudity and 2,881 verbal sexual references. That means that children watching MTV are viewing an average of 9 sexual scenes per hour with approximately 18 sexual depictions and 17 instances of sexual dialogue or innuendo. (www.parentstv.org)

So in other words, for 167 hours a week, MTV blares out a "Hey kids! Have sex and have sex, and after having had sex, have more sex! Oh and don't worry about the consequences, because of course we'll never show that part!"

Then one hour a week: "Look kids! If you're 16 and pregnant, there's a bunch of bad stuff that gets dumped in your life!"

Continue reading here...

Follow @hbcstudent on Twitter!!

2009-07-20T11:43:00.003-04:00

Some of you may be familiar with Twitter, but many of you probably are not. What is Twitter? you may ask:

"Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?" -from the Twitter.com homepage.

Basically it's a way to get information out to a lot of people very quickly. It's even easier to use than text messaging once you get used to it. So, I want you all to sign up!!! You can receive updates about events, payment deadlines, and other last-minute information without making a phone call or checking your email. By signing up for a Twitter account and following @hbcstudent, which is the twitter account that I will use for the youth ministry, you can receive text message updates and reminders about what's going on in the youth ministry.

Here's how it works:

1. You go to www.twitter.com and sign up for a twitter account. You start this by clicking the "Get Started- Join!" box on Twitter's homepage.

2. Enter your full name, e.g. "Dustin Knoedler"

3. Enter your username- this will be the name you use to sign in to access your Twitter account. I recommend using your full name, so it will be easy for people to find you, and so that you don't forget what your sign-in name is. So, if your username is "DustinKnoedler", your twitter page will be www.twitter.com/dustinknoedler, which is my personal twitter page.

4. Enter your password.

5. Enter your email address. This is where Twitter will send you notices to let you know that more people are following you or about important account updates. They do not send spam!!!

6. Enter the text from the spam-bot filter, then click "Create my account."

7. Add your mobile phone number to your twitter account if you wish to receive text messages from anyone else on twitter. This step will be necessary if you want to receive mobile updates from @hbcstudent. Click on the "Settings" tab from your twitter homepage. Then click the "Devices" tab. Enter your mobile phone number and turn mobile updates "on."

8. From your twitter account, you can search for friends, your children, or, most importantly, hbcstudent. Search for "hbcstudent" to find the youth ministry twitter account, then click "Follow." Then click the "Device updates" tab and turn the device updates "on." You should now receive text message updates from "@hbcstudent."

Twitter takes some getting used to and you only learn by using it more. Your account can easily be managed from the Twitter website. Twitter also has an extensive "Help" section on their website which should answer any questions you may have.

Please note that standard text messaging rates apply to all tweets (A text sent or received using Twitter). Twitter is a completely free service, so just be aware of your text message plan with your cell service provider.

I think this will greatly enhance our ability to keep you informed of what's going on in the youth ministry, so if you have a cell phone with text messaging, please sign up via the steps outlined above. I know a few of you are already using Twitter, so thanks!!!

Summer Activities

2009-07-20T11:40:00.002-04:00

Hey all- just wanted to post a quick update about what we've got planned for the rest of the summer.

Saturday, July 25th- THIS SATURDAY!!! We're going canoeing on the Little Miami River in Orgenonia through Morgan's Canoe Rental. Cost is $5 and is due this Wednesday night.

Wednesday, August 5th- Reds Game. We're going to go watch the Reds whoop the Cubs! Cost is $7 and is also due this Wednesday.

Obviously, if students want to participate in both these events, the total money due this Wednesday is $12. I can't think of a better way to spend $12, so I hope all of you guys will sign up and join us!!!

Sexting: 'Parents Don't Have a Clue,' John Walsh Says

2009-07-07T13:33:00.000-04:00

Do parents really know the deal when it comes to their kids and sexting? John Walsh, host of "Americas Most Wanted" said they don't have a clue.

That’s why it’s incredibly important to sit down with your child and talk about the dangers of this growing problem, Walsh told FOX and Friends Thursday morning.

“I talk to my 14-year-old son — but the bad news is that 1 in 4 teens say ‘hey, hey hey… parents don’t know what the heck they’re talking about… and every teenager thinks they’re bullet proof,” Walsh said. “But when that picture shows up in cyberspace, and that college admissions director sees that looking at the Myspace page or the Facebook page — or they hear about it, or the kid gets arrested for distributing a sexy picture — you know — then it’s going to come back to haunt that kid.”

Continue reading here...

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen- a review

2009-07-07T12:21:00.004-04:00

It must be really hard to be Michael Bay. He’s almost universally vilified for the way practically everything he touches turns into an over-the-top, all-action/no-plot mess. The online spoof site The Onion even wrote a fake news article about Bay next helming a remake of the ‘80s cartoon Thundercats—it was one of the most hilariously vulgar things I’ve ever read.

So sometimes I feel sorry for the guy. But then he offers us a pile of utter garbage likeTransformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and I remember why people dislike his films so much.

If the goal was simply to get butts in seats: mission accomplished. The film made 200 million dollars in its opening weekend, practically guaranteeing more sequels. Sigh.

Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) is back, and heading off to Yale, but he has to leave behind both his awesome robot-car Bumblebee, and his beautiful robot-girlfriend Mikaela (Megan Fox). She’s not really a robot, but you wouldn’t know it from her acting ability. The first moment we see Fox the camera is focused on her caboose as she’s perched over a motorcycle, in shorts so short they make Daisy Duke’s look like sweatpants. But surely she’ll reveal a hidden strength and talent, just like in the first film, right? Nope. She’s here to look good while wearing few clothes and running toward the camera in very…slow…motion.

Continue reading here...

Upcoming Summer Events

2009-07-02T11:25:00.007-04:00

Hey folks- it's been awhile!!! I'm back from back-to-back vacation and creation trips, at least until we leave for our mission trip next Thursday!

I just wanted to inform you of what's coming up for the rest of the summer regarding activities.

Sunday, July 5: Cookout and Swimming party at Bo and Becky's. We'll head over to their house in Carlisle after the evening service. Parents will need to pick up their students by 11p. We will provide dinner and we'll also have cornhole and possibly volleyball in addition to swimming. Girls, no bikinis are allowed. Tankinis are fine.

Saturday, July 25: Canoeing at Ft. Ancient in Morrow, OH. Cost is $5. We will leave at 8a and return around 6p. You need to sign up at the activities billboard downstairs by Wednesday, July 22nd. Students will need to pack a brown-bag lunch that we will pack in a cooler. We'll stop at some point on our journey to eat along the river.

Wednesday, August 5: Reds Game. Cost is $7. We will be leaving at 5:30p and returning around 11p. Again, please sign up at the activities billboard downstairs by Sunday, July 20th. The Reds are playing the Cubs that night, and the game will probably sell out, so we need to purchase tickets fairly early.

June is "Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month"

2009-06-03T12:10:00.001-04:00

WASHINGTON (BP)--President Obama Monday named June as "Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month" issuing a proclamation that goes even further than those of former President Clinton in its pro-homosexuality slant.

Clinton was the last president to issue such a proclamation, first doing so in 1999 and then in 2000 before he left office. Obama's 572-word proclamation calls for ending the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy -- which was put in place under Clinton -- and also includes the phrase "transgender" for a first time. Clinton's proclamations never referenced transgenderism, a category that includes cross-dressers and people undergoing sex change operations. Another first: Obama's proclamation reiterates his support for same-sex civil union laws.

President George W. Bush never issued a proclamation commemorating Gay Pride Month. Clinton's proclamations differed from Obama's in calling June "Gay and Lesbian Pride Month," leaving out "bisexual" and "transgender."

Continue reading here...

Cyberbullying Affects Half Of US Teens

2009-06-03T10:48:00.000-04:00

Cyberbullying is an increasing problem affecting up to 50 percent of U.S. teens, with consequences that can be as bad or worse than being beaten up in a school yard, according to a Reuters report.

Whether through emails, texting, instant messaging, cell phones or Web sites, cyberbullying causes such emotional devastation that some victims have turned to suicide.

Over the last decade, 37 states have enacted legislation requiring schools to implement anti-bullying statutes.

"It is becoming something that people recognize as a significant issue as more and more students start talking about it, and unfortunately, as these extreme cases of suicide and students hurting themselves is becoming more prevalent," Dan Tarplin, the New York Educational Director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), told Reuters.

Continue reading here...

Many Churchgoers and Faith Leaders Struggle to Define Spiritual Maturity

2009-06-03T10:44:00.000-04:00

America may possess the world’s largest infrastructure for nurturing human spirituality, complete with hundreds of thousands of houses of worship, thousands of parachurch organizations and schools, and seemingly unlimited products, resources and experts.

Yet, a new study from the Barna Group identifies an underlying reason why there is little progress in helping people develop spiritually: many churchgoers and clergy struggle to articulate a basic understanding of spiritual maturity. People aspire to be spiritually mature, but they do not know what it means. Pastors want to guide others on the path to spiritual wholeness, but they are often not clearly defining the goals or the outcomes of that process.

Continue reading here...

A Major Force in Education -- Homeschooling in America

2009-06-03T10:21:00.000-04:00

The U.S. Department of Education has released its periodic review of schooling in America, and it offers a revealing look at the growth of homeschooling. The picture of contemporary homeschooling offers some real surprises and raises some new questions.

"The Condition of Education 2009" is produced by the National Center for Education Statistics, and it contains a wealth of statistical data. Approximately 50 million children are enrolled in the public schools for grades K-12. In 2007 5.9 million children were enrolled in private schools and the percentage of those enrolled in "Conservative Christian schools" increased from 13 to 15 percent of that total.

Homeschooling was the choice of families for 2.9 percent of all school-age children in the United States in 2007, involving 1.5 million students. By comparison, in 1999 only 850,000 children were homeschooled. By 2003, that number was up to 1.1 million. This report indicates significant jumps in homeschooling as compared to other educational options. In fact, the report reveals that the actual number of American children whose parents choose homeschooling for at least part of their education exceeds 3 million. According to the report, 1.5 million children are exclusively homeschooled while another 1.5 million are homeschooled for at least part of the school week.

Continue reading here...

A Biblical Mandate To Do Something About Abortion

2009-06-01T11:27:00.002-04:00

From www.Abort73.com: This document exists for two reasons: to convince more of God’s people to enter the active defense of abortion-vulnerable children and to help those already making a defense to be more biblical.

Click here to read the document, "A Biblical Mandate To Do Something About Abortion."

Stop Texting and Read This -- The Thumb You Save May Be Your Own

2009-06-01T10:43:00.001-04:00

Statistics can be used to inform or to mislead, and sometimes they can shock. See if this statistic isn't shocking: In the fourth quarter of 2008 American teenagers sent and received an average of 2,272 text messages per month. That, dear friends, is nothing to LOL about.

That statistic comes from The New York Times. In "Texting May Be Taking a Toll," reporter Katie Hafner offers a view into the lives of American teens. They are fanatical texters. As Hafner reports, "They do it late at night when their parents are asleep. They do it in restaurants and while crossing busy streets. They do it in the classroom with their hands behind their back. They do it so much their thumbs hurt."

Authorities now blame excessive texting for sleep deprivation, distraction in school, poor grades, and even repetitive stress injuries. These teens are texting while they should be sleeping, and they are sleeping with the cell phone set to vibrate so that they can respond to texts from friends without waking parents.

Continue reading here...

If Murder is a sin, then so is Murdering a Murderer

2009-06-01T10:41:00.002-04:00

The cold-blooded murder of Dr. George Tiller on Sunday morning presents the pro-life movement in America with a crucial moral test -- will we condemn this murder in unqualified terms?

For many years, Dr. George Tiller has represented the horrific reality of the abortion industry in this nation. Infamously known to the pro-life movement in America, Tiller was known as "Tiller the Killer" because of his well-known willingness to perform late-term abortions almost no other doctor in the nation would perform. Because of Dr. George Tiller, Wichita became the destination of choice for women seeking abortions in the late third trimester.

In 1993 Tiller was shot in both arms by an assailant. His clinic was regularly protested and was once bombed. Tiller had many brushes with the law, and just weeks ago he was acquitted of charges that he had colluded with another physician to illegally justify late-term abortions.

George Tiller was shot to death Sunday morning as he was serving as an usher at Reformation Lutheran Church in Wichita. Witnesses said that a lone assailant entered the church, shot Dr. Tiller with a single shot, threatened two others, and then fled the scene. A suspect was arrested hours later. Wichita police said that the unnamed suspect would likely face multiple charges as early as Monday.

Continue reading here...

Living in the Kingdom

2009-05-28T10:16:00.006-04:00

Coming to a house-church near you: persecution!

I know we all talk about persecution in countries "over there" and we tend to downplay the instances of persecution that we encounter here, but our culture is rapidly becoming more polarized on issues of religion, so stories like the one above may continue to pop up. Don't be surprised, or even outraged- meditate on these words from Savior Jesus: "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you...Whoever hates me hates my Father also."

Christianity has flourished in this country since its inception in large part because the men who wrote our founding documents recognized the danger of both state-mandated religion and state-suppression of religion. More frequently, however, we are hearing about instances of "cities," "counties," or "states," which are nothing if not limbs of the government, regulating and manipulating all available laws to suppress the Christian religion. I'm not a fan of people who deny the influence of Christianity on the foundation of America, but I am not so naive as to believe that we are a "Christian" nation. "Christian" nations don't murder 50 million babies in 40 years. "Christian" nations don't spend $14 billion on pornography every year while holding 89% of pornographic website domains (Americans own and operate 244 million pornographic websites and that number is rising hourly).

I hope that you will revert back to the words of Jesus as you process the escalating persecution of Jesus-followers. His Kingdom is not founded on human means or laws- it is a different city, ruled by a perfect King, and it's rule is grace. As you talk about religious freedom with your friends, neighbors, co-workers, and families, remember how Jesus loved those who persecuted Him, knowing that the glory that became His through His death will also become your glory through yours.

Mission Trip Meeting

2009-05-26T16:00:00.003-04:00

We'll have a brief Mission Trip summary meeting on Wednesday, June 3rd, at 6:30p. We'll go over the basic schedule for the week and answer any questions that you may have.

As always, should a question arise, please don't hesitate to contact Dustin at the office or on his cell.

Free Car Wash!!!

2009-05-26T14:38:00.002-04:00

Hey guys- to whoever reads this, feel free to pass the information along to friends, family, coworkers, neighbors, and whoever else you know!!!

The students who are participating in this summer's mission trip will be offering a free car wash to anyone and everyone this Saturday, May 30th, from 9a-1p in the church parking lot! This is not a fundraiser, it is simply a service to members of the church and the Carlisle community.

Mission trip students are required to be here at the church by 8:50 Saturday morning and will need to stay until the service project ends at 1p, unless Dustin is notified beforehand of pre-existing commitments.

Spread the word!!!!! We hope to see you Saturday!

Young Anorexics

2009-05-21T11:51:00.000-04:00

About 2.5 million Americans suffer from anorexia. Shay Fuell was only nine years old when the fixation began.

“(I) was starting to have body-image issues and looking in the mirror sideways and just pinching my skin seeing if there was fat there,” she says.

A few years later, she was 5-feet-2 and weighed 78 pounds.

“Literally, it becomes [a part of] every thought … in your head,” she says. “You can’t think about anything else. You can’t concentrate on anything. You can’t even hold a conversation with somebody because you are thinking about the last meal that you ate or what you should be doing to work out or how you’re going to be able to throw up without anybody knowing.”

According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the number of girls under the age of 12 hospitalized for eating disorders has more than doubled since 1999.

Continue reading here...

Teens All Thumbs When Texting and Driving

2009-05-21T11:47:00.000-04:00

Driving while text messaging or fiddling with an MP3 player is dangerous -- even more hazardous than talking on a cell phone, a new study shows.

Researchers at Eastern Virginia Medical School and Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters in Norfolk enlisted 21 teens between the ages of 16 and 18 to take part in a series of simulated driving experiments.

Each teen sat in the bucket seat of a simulated car, driving the vehicle through simulated scenery, in rural, then urban settings in 10-minute time blocks.

First they drove through the virtual scenes without distractions of any kind. Then they drove through the same scenes while text messaging, while talking on a cell phone, and finally while operating an MP3 music player, Donald Lewis, MD, chief of Eastern Virginia Medical School’s department of pediatrics and co-researcher, tells WebMD.

The findings, although not surprising, were frightening, Lewis says.

Continue reading here...

Adult TV for kids means earlier sex as teens

2009-05-21T11:44:00.000-04:00

Children exposed to adult-themed movies and TV shows are likely to have sex earlier in their teenage years than their peers who were not similarly exposed, according to a new study by Children's Hospital Boston.

The results of the study were presented recently at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies in Baltimore. The study followed 754 kids first in childhood and again five years later when they were aged 12 to 18. According to the data, earlier exposure to adult content correlated to the earlier sexual activity in the teenage years.

Continue reading here...

5 Drugs Kids Steal Most Often From Parents

2009-05-21T11:40:00.001-04:00

You may unwittingly be a big source of prescription drugs your teen is using. And more often than not, medicine cabinets are their go-to spot of choice.

The Partnership For a Drug-Free America's latest survey has 61 percent of teens reporting prescription drugs are easier to get than illegal drugs, up significantly from 56 percent in 2005. And 41 percent of teens mistakenly believe abuse of medicines is less dangerous than abuse of illegal street drugs.

"One out of every two Americans is on prescription medication. So these drugs are readily available,"CBS News Medical Correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton told co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez on The Early Show Thursday. "People think they're safe because they're prescribed by a doctor, and more and more teens are turning to the medicine closet to get their drugs of use and abuse."

Ashton went through the five classes of prescription drugs kids get most often in their own homes:

Continue reading here...

Device helps tame teen drivers

2009-05-21T11:35:00.000-04:00

Looks promising.

Is America "Christian" any more?

2009-05-21T11:07:00.003-04:00

Two good stories to check out on this issue. The first is from Jon Meacham, religion editor at Newsweek. He reports that the number of self-identifying Christians is declining, while the number of those reporting no religious affiliation has doubled in the last decade.

While this can be troubling, Pastor Mark Driscoll wrote a clarifying response for Fox News about what the numbers are actually telling us, and how the Christian church in America can and should benefit from the post-Christian nation that America is rapidly becoming.

Dan Brown’s America

2009-05-20T12:29:00.001-04:00

The movie treatment of his novel, “Angels and Demons,” is cleaning up at the box office this week. The sequel to “The DaVinci Code,” due out in November, might buoy the publishing industry through the recession. And if you want to understand the state of American religion, you need to understand why so many people love Dan Brown.

It isn’t just that he knows how to keep the pages turning. That’s what it takes to sell a million novels. But if you want to sell a 100 million, you need to preach as well as entertain — to present a fiction that can be read as fact, and that promises to unlock the secrets of history, the universe and God along the way.

Brown is explicit about this mission. He isn’t a serious novelist, but he’s a deadly serious writer: His thrilling plots,he’s said, are there to make the books’ didacticism go down easy, so that readers don’t realize till the end “how much they are learning along the way.” He’s working in the same genre as Harlan Coben and James Patterson, but his real competitors are ideologues like Ayn Rand, and spiritual gurus like Eckhart Tolle and Deepak Chopra. He’s writing thrillers, but he’s selling a theology.

Continue reading here...

Why the president’s Notre Dame speech should hearten lifers . . . a little.

2009-05-19T10:56:00.000-04:00

For all the controversy surrounding his invitation, President Obama’s commencement address at the University of Notre Dame on Sunday actually offered pro-lifers some causes for optimism. Although it was certainly not his intention, the president’s remarks point to the profound and growing weakness of the case for America’s radical abortion laws.

Obama himself, of course, is a cause for short-term pessimism: His policies have so far been true to his pre-presidential record, and there is every reason to expect they will continue to be. And that he can often clothe his substantive extremism in the garb of rhetorical moderation — that he can step back and describe the controversy with apparent distance even as he himself pulls hard for one side — further strengthens his cause in the fight.

But his speech should leave pro-lifers optimistic, because it illustrates the transformation of the abortion debate over the past 15 years. Put simply, defenders of the Roe regime seem incapable of making a case for themselves, and when they reach for the vocabulary of American liberal democracy in an effort to make some kind of argument, they end up closer to the case for their opponents.

Continue reading here...

Praise God!

2009-05-15T16:11:00.001-04:00

Let's hope this story raises some noise on behalf of the babies who will never make a noise!!!

A new Gallup Poll, conducted May 7-10, finds 51% of Americans calling themselves "pro-life" on the issue of abortion and 42% "pro-choice." This is the first time a majority of U.S. adults have identified themselves as pro-life since Gallup began asking this question in 1995.

Continue reading here...

No Mr. President

2009-05-14T10:02:00.000-04:00

No Mr. President

The faith of Abraham

2009-05-13T16:46:00.005-04:00

In preparing for tonight's talk with the students about the faithfulness of God and the faith of Abraham I came across this lengthy section of John Calvin's commentary on Romans 4:21, one of the passages which we'll be covering in tonight's talk, and I wanted to share it with you in hope that your faith would be encouraged and your heart would be filled to overflowing with thoughts of God's faithful love for His children!

"As all men acknowledge God's power, Paul seems to say nothing very extraordinary of the faith of Abraham; but experience proves, that nothing is more uncommon, or more difficult, than to ascribe to God's power the honour which it deserves. There is indeed no obstacle, however small and insignificant, by which the flesh imagines the hand of God is restrained from working. Hence it is, that in the slightest trials, the promises of God slide away from us. When there is no contest, it is true, no one, as I have said, denies that God can do all things; but as soon as anything comes in the way to impede the course of God's promise, we cast down God's power from its eminence. Hence, that it may obtain from us its right and its honour, when a contest comes, we ought to determine thus: That it is no less sufficient to overcome the obstacles of the world, than the strong rays of the sun are to dissipate the mists. We are indeed wont ever to excuse ourselves, that we derogate (detract) nothing from God's power, whenever we hesitate respecting His promises, and we commonly say, "The thought, that God promises more in His word than He can perform, (which would be a falsehood and blasphemy against Him), is by no means the cause of our hesitation; but that it is the defect which we feel in ourselves." But we do not sufficiently exalt the power of God, unless we think it to be greater than our weakness. Faith then ought not to regard our weakness, misery, and defects, but to fix wholly its attention on the power of God alone; for if it depends on our righteousness or worthiness, it can never ascend to the consideration of God's power. And it is a proof of the unbelief, of which he had before spoken, when we mete (measure out) the Lord's power with our own measure. For faith does not think that God can do all things, while it leaves Him sitting still, but when, on the contrary, it regards His power in continual exercise, and applies it, especially, to the accomplishment of His word: for the hand of God is ever ready to execute whatever He has declared by His mouth."

Soli Deo Gloria!!!

Gender Wars

2009-05-13T10:56:00.005-04:00

No, not the kind which employ a board game to determine the supremacy of males or females. This war seeks to answer not which gender is better/smarter/stronger, but whether the genders even exist as concrete categories. Are we born male and female, as the Bible teaches, or are we androgynous creatures at birth, free to peruse our options and decide later in life whether to be male or female? This seems like a ridiculous question for those of us with a biblically-based worldview of sexuality and gender, but secular academics and politicians are weighing in on the issue with a vigorous denial of gender being an established category given to humanity from God, or whatever Creator one has a belief in.

Albert Mohler commented on a recent op-ed piece in the NY Times:

Controversies and debates about gender define much of today's cultural landscape. In reality, if you take away all debates about gender, gender roles, and sexuality, our world would be a much quieter place. Nevertheless, the world we know is a world increasingly in revolt against the idea that gender is assigned by our Creator and is thus a fixed category.

A perfect illustration of this confusion is found on the May 12, 2009 op-ed page ofThe New York Times. There, along with articles by the paper's own columnists, was an article by Jennifer Finney Boylan, a professor of English at Colby College in Maine.

Professor Boylan argues that we should just accept and celebrate "the elusiveness of gender" and see the most difficult questions about gender as "sometimes unanswerable."

Continue reading here...

Is narcissism on the upswing in the young? Studies disagree

2009-05-12T16:24:00.000-04:00

Are teens and young adults more narcissistic today than in the past? That's the view of a California researcher who studies young people.

In her new book, The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement, psychologist Jean Twenge of San Diego State University and co-author W. Keith Campbell of the University of Georgia say research shows more young people today have "narcissistic traits" than in previous generations. Such traits, Twenge says, include a very positive and inflated sense of self, which is illustrated by a preoccupation with MySpace, Facebook and YouTube.

Continue reading here...

Is Your Kid a Video-Game Addict?

2009-05-12T16:20:00.001-04:00

Are nearly 10 percent of kids and teenagers who play video games showing signs of addiction? That’s the word from a report in the journal Psychological Science, which says that 8.5 percent of the 1,178 kids ages 8 to 18 who were randomly sampled by a 2007 Harris poll showed at least 6 of 11 addiction symptoms.

But don’t trash the Xbox just yet. First of all, the addiction symptoms included skipping household chores or homework to play, playing games to escape problems, and lying about length of playing time. If that’s true, I’m definitely addicted to reading, because I’ll happily evade vacuuming and other unpleasant aspects of life by burying my nose in a book. And who hasn’t lied when asked about staying up last night surfing Craigslist or checking out Facebook? It’s a great question, particularly since today marks the beginning of Turnoff Week, a time to consider life without video.

Continue reading here...

Study: Nearly half of high schoolers have been hazed

2009-05-12T16:15:00.001-04:00

PORTLAND, Maine — Authors of an ambitious survey of hazing in colleges and universities have turned their attention to high schools and discovered that many freshmen arrive on campus with experience — with 47% reporting getting hazed in high school.

As in college, high school hazing pervaded groups from sports teams to the yearbook staff and performing arts, according to professors Elizabeth Allan and Mary Madden of the University of Maine's College of Education and Human Development.

The hazing included activities from silly stunts to drinking games, with 8% of the students drinking to the point of getting sick or passing out, they said.

Continue reading here...

Why tween girls are finally covering up

2009-05-08T13:21:00.000-04:00

Droves of tween girls went, with their BFFs (and often their brave parents), to the newHannah Montana movie this past weekend. While the singing and dancing of course took center stage, both the tweens, decked out in their Miley Cyrus fan gear, and their parents were also paying close attention to the surprisingly modest outfits in the movie - which seems to be making modesty's comeback in the tween fashion category official. Lead by tweensetter franchises such as High School Musical,iCarly and tween queen Hannah Montana, girls are finally backing away from the the belly-shirts and short-shorts of years past.

Why are tweens no longer aspiring to dress like Britney? One reason is that in response to criticism from concerned parents, many tween entertainment properties are now featuring more innocent (and wacky) looks. As such, tweens are seeing their role models wearing cardigans instead of tube tops and they want to do the same. Additionally, tweens these days are much closer to their parents and are hyper-conscious of anything that could upset them.

Continue reading here...

Teens on Social Networks

2009-05-08T13:00:00.005-04:00

Making friends is important, but the experience not always positive.

Young people are going online more than ever before, and many are using social networks.

eMarketer estimates that in 2009, 15.5 million US Internet users ages 12 to 17, or 75%, will use social networks.

Continue reading here...

As an addendum to this story, I would highly recommend that parents sit down with your teen or pre-teen child and explore their social networking page, if they have one. Teens are getting into trouble at school and at work for information and pictures that are showing up on their social networking websites, and I think a lot of that could be avoided if parents took the time to discuss the benefits and dangers of social networking sites like Myspace and Facebook. Even in my high school days, stupid decisions were only known to those who participated in them. Now, teens are showing a tendency to post their stupid decisions (often via picture form) on their Myspace or Facebook pages, available for all to see. There are potentially deleterious effects on scholastic and employment pursuits for posting lewd or otherwise inappropriate behavior online. Admissions departments at various universities are now starting to peruse prospective students' social networking activities as an aid in determining the student's suitability for admission, and employers are doing the same. A Philadelphia Eagles employee was fired last off-season for making disparaging remarks on his Facebook page about the organization for not re-signing fan favorite free safety Brian Dawkins.

Be involved in one of the most important aspects of your teenagers life! Check their social networking pages and read their text messages. You aren't being overly intrusive if you do so, regardless of what they may say in protest. You are simply parenting, which is what you signed up for when you decided to bring new life into this world. Don't feel like a secret service agent for investigating what is going on in your teen's life. Your primary responsibility as a parent is to provide for and protect your children, not to give them autonomous freedom. This especially applies to younger teens, who often lack the experience and judgment to make proper decisions without parental involvement.

How Abercrombie & Fitch is losing its cool

2009-05-08T12:57:00.001-04:00

To the dismay of the Abercrombie & Fitch empire, teenagers whose parents have cut back on their allowances may be coming to a recessionary revelation: Paying $90 for torn jeans isn't that cool anymore.

While other retailers are responding to the downturn with red-lined price tags and tempting promotions, upscale Abercrombie & Fitch isn't budging on its price points. This scarf, for example, will still cost you $58. The company is fiercely protecting its image as a "premium" brand, and, as a result, it's getting snubbed big time by its once cultlike, ever-loyal fan base.

Continue reading here...

Most American Christians Do Not Believe that Satan or the Holy Spirit Exist

2009-05-08T12:19:00.004-04:00

While stories like this can be alarming, and at the very least indicate that we have to proclaim loudly and clearly what the Christian faith is comprised of as well as what it is not comprised of, Barna's research is comprised of people who call themselves Christians, not necessarily those who actually are Christians. A helpful book for you to check out on the discrepancy between who Barna identifies is a "Christian" and who the bible identifies as a "Christian" is John Piper's book "Finally Alive." Piper blunts the alarming edge of Barna's research by distinguishing between those who are self-identified Christians and who the Bible defines as Christians. You can purchase the book here, or download the book for free in a PDF format here. At the latter link you can also listen to the sermons that John Piper preached on John 3, which served as the basis for his book.

A new nationwide survey of adults’ spiritual beliefs, conducted by The Barna Group, suggests that Americans who consider themselves to be Christian have a diverse set of beliefs – but many of those beliefs are contradictory or, at least, inconsistent.

The survey explored beliefs about spiritual beings, the influence of faith on their life, views of the Bible, and reactions to faiths other than their own.

Views on Spiritual Beings

The Barna survey asked questions about God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, Satan, and demons. All 1,871 self-described Christians were asked about their perception of God. In total, three-quarters (78%) said he is the “all-powerful, all-knowing Creator of the universe who rules the world today.” The remaining one-quarter chose other descriptions of God – depictions that are not consistent with biblical teaching (e.g., everyone is god, god refers to the realization of human potential, etc.).

Continue reading here...

Cutting $100 Million from Our Budget: Visualized

2009-04-29T11:27:00.003-04:00

For you visual learners, here is a short video demonstrating how little the $100 million dollars that President Obama has promised to cut out of his $3.5 trillion dollar budget proposal actually is.

A few other books

2009-04-24T11:31:00.003-04:00

Seems that I forgot to mention a few other books that are selling for heft markdown prices today. One is "What's So Amazing About Grace?/ Where is God When it Hurts?" This is a two-volumes-in-one deal and it's pretty sweet. Only $5.99 at Christianbook.com.

The second book, which can be found here and here, is Big Truths For Young Hearts, from Southern Seminary theology professor Bruce Ware. Dr. Ware explains the central tenets of the Christian faith in a way that is accessible and understandable to "young hearts," either children or new converts. The book was inspired by his lengthy practice of talking about theology at his two daughters' bedside. Blogger Justin Taylor interviewed Dr. Ware about the book and that brief interview can be read here.

Knowing God

2009-04-24T11:24:00.004-04:00

Here's a devotional classic on sale: Knowing God, by J.I. Packer, is only $7.99 today at Christianbook.com.

I can't recommend this book highly enough. It is one of my top 5 most influential books of any category. Below is one of the introductory passages, given to show you the style of Packer's writing and a taste of what the book is about.

There is something exceedingly improving to the mind in a contemplation of the Divinity. It is a subject so vast, that all our thoughts are lost in its immensity; so deep, that our pride is drowned in its infinity. Other subjects we can compass and grapple with; in them we feel a kind of self-content, and go our way with the thought, "Behold I am wise." But when we come to this master science, finding that our plumbline cannot sound its depth, and that our eagle eye cannot see its height, we turn away with the thought that vain man would be wise, but he is like a wild ass's colt; and with solemn exclamation, "I am but of yesterday, and know nothing." No subject of contemplation will tend more to humble the mind, than thoughts of God.

Classic Packer. Here's the link.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind, Out of Luck -- The Abandoned Embryo

2009-04-22T12:34:00.001-04:00

The National Institutes of Health [NIH] released the draft of its "Guidelines for Human Stem Cell Research" on April 17, thus revealing the specific policy proposals that will expand federal funding for stem cell research using human embryos.

The proposed guidelines contain few real surprises, given the fact that legislative barriers to the direct destruction of human embryos remain in effect. The main issue is the expansion of funding to include stem cells derived from human embryos created by in vitro fertilization in IVF clinics. The remainder of the guidelines have to do mostly with informed consent procedures.

Here is the key section of the NIH statement:

These draft Guidelines would allow funding for research using human embryonic stem cells that were derived from embryos created by in vitro fertilization (IVF) for reproductive purposes and were no longer needed for that purpose. Funding will continue to be allowed for human stem cell research using adult stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells. Specifically, these Guidelines describe the conditions and informed consent procedures that would have been required during the derivation of human embryonic stem cells for research using these cells to be funded by the NIH. NIH funding for research using human embryonic stem cells derived from other sources, including somatic cell nuclear transfer, parthenogenesis, and/or IVF embryos created for research purposes, is not allowed under these Guidelines.

Continue reading here...

Another Planned Parenthood clinic caught

2009-04-22T12:02:00.001-04:00

WASHINGTON (BP)--Planned Parenthood has been caught again seeking to circumvent the law -- this time at a Memphis, Tenn., affiliate.

Live Action, a California-based organization led by college students, secretly video taped a Planned Parenthood counselor attempting to cover up alleged child sexual abuse. It marked the sixth clinic in which Live Action has filmed with a hidden camera such a cover-up effort. Such practices by Planned Parenthood employees also were recorded at affiliates in Arizona, California and Indiana.

Lila Rose, a 20-year-old UCLA student and Live Action's president, posed as a pregnant 14-year-old at the Memphis clinic, telling the counselor the father of her child was a 31-year-old. The counselor told Rose she would not tell anyone the age of the boyfriend and advised her to lie about his age. She counseled Rose on obtaining a judicial bypass of the state's parental consent law for an abortion. Tennessee law requires health-care workers to report suspected cases of sexual abuse of minors to authorities.

Continue reading here...

Huge Savings on some Great Resources

2009-04-22T10:58:00.002-04:00

Christianbook.com is offering some sweet deals in their Midweek Markdown promotion this week and I wanted to point a few of them out to you.

John MacArthur NASB Study Bible, Large Print Edition- $19.99

A Tale of Two Sons- $9.99. This is John MacArthur's masterful treatment of the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15.

ESV Study Bible- Bonded Leather, Burgundy- $37.99

Mission Trip

2009-04-20T12:53:00.002-04:00

We have two events coming up that mission trip participants need to be aware of as their attendance is required at both events.

First is the Spaghetti Dinner fundraiser. On Wednesday, April 29th, the mission trip team will be serving dinner to the church family in the Bell Building at 6:30. Students need to be at the church by 6p to help with the preparations.

Second is a service project on Saturday, May 30th, from 9a-1p. The location of the service project as well as what we'll be doing on that day is TBD, but please make plans to attend this service opportunity. If you have prior commitments on this date or if something comes up that prohibits you from serving on May 30th, please contact me (Dustin) as soon as possible to let me know. This service project is required for mission trip participants.

Alright, that's all for now. Oh one other thing- please keep in mind that the total balance for each students needs to be $0 by Sunday, June 28th. You may want to make small regular payments to pay down the balance on your student's account over the next two months to make it easier on the family budget. As always, if payment is or becomes a problem, contact Dustin at the church office, on his cell, or via email and we will work out your payment options.

Anti-religion statements: Church or State matter?

2009-04-17T11:38:00.001-04:00

Now, the Islamic states want to make the "defamation of religion" a human rights violation. The language of the resolution is expressed in diplomatic fog, but the intent is nonetheless clear. The resolution speaks of recognizing "the valuable contribution of all religions to modern civilization and the contribution that dialogue among civilizations can make towards improved awareness and understanding of the common values shared by all humankind." The resolution then goes on to express its concern "that defamation of religions, and incitement to religious hatred in general, could lead to social disharmony and violations of human rights, and alarmed at the inaction of some States to combat this burgeoning trend and the resulting discriminatory practices against adherents of certain religions and in this context stressing the need to effectively combat defamation of all religions and incitement to religious hatred in general and against Islam and Muslims in particular."

Again and again, Islam is referenced as the only religion singled out for protection against defamation. The reason for this is central to the identity of Islam, which is an honor religion. Thus, in the Muslim dominated world, blasphemy is a serious legal matter.

Continue reading here...

Don't write us off!!

2009-04-17T11:32:00.002-04:00

Despite recent media reports that young adults are running from churches in droves, the beliefs of many younger unchurched people are more connected to historic Christian beliefs than many suspected.

More 20-somethings than individuals 30 and older believe in the God of the Bible, the resurrection of Christ and the uniqueness of the Christian God, according to research conducted by LifeWay Research, the research arm of LifeWay Christian Resources.

The data showed that younger unchurched people are more open than their older unchurched counterparts to hear more about Christianity – though they do tend to hold negative views of the church.

Continue reading here...

Teen finds herself hard-wired to technology

2009-04-17T11:26:00.002-04:00

"It's time to wake up, Emily," my mom sings from the kitchen. I attempt to open my eyes. Why didn't the alarm on my cell phone go off? I stumble across my room to search for my phone and freeze as a feeling of dread begins to twist my stomach into an uncomfortable knot.

I sigh and realize today is the day for my experiment: "A day without technology."

My editors asked me to do it for an article and I readily agreed. How hard could it be?

I didn't realize what I had gotten myself into until I was driving to school in my car in silence. No radio blasting my favorite energizing songs. I had to sing to myself. I could tell it was going to be a long Wednesday.

As soon as I got to school, I went to the library to print out my English project from my flash drive. "Uh-oh," I thought. "This isn't allowed." However, I quickly decided that one exception to the no-technology rule would be acceptable, especially since it was for a school assignment.

Continue reading here...

Study: Is Vegetarianism a Teen Eating Disorder?

2009-04-17T11:21:00.002-04:00

Being a teenager means experimenting with foolish things like dyeing your hair purple or candy flipping or going door-to-door for a political party. Parents tend to overlook seemingly mild, earnest teen pursuits like joining the Sierra Club, but a new study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association suggests that another common teen fad, vegetarianism, isn't always healthy. Instead, it seems that a significant number of kids experiment with a vegetarian diet as a way to mask an eating disorder, since it's a socially acceptable way to avoid eating many foods and one that parents tend not to oppose.

The study, led by nutritionist Ramona Robinson-O'Brien, an assistant professor at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University in Minnesota, found that while adolescent and young adult vegetarians were less likely than meat eaters to be overweight and more likely to eat a relatively healthful diet, they were also more likely to binge eat.

Continue reading here...

Parenting Teenagers

2009-04-16T12:24:00.002-04:00

Tim Chester is one of my favorite writers, bloggers, and evangelical thinkers. He offers some summary thoughts of a talk that he heard given at a conference in England about parenting teenagers.

Here is part 1.

Here is part 2.

Update

2009-04-16T11:41:00.003-04:00

Hey one other thing I forgot to mention that will classify you as a "rightwing extremist" according to Janet Napolitano's DHS report: pro-life. Yep, if you believe that babies should live, you are more likely to engage in violence against the government.

I know that none of this may seem all that important- these kinds of documents are published all the time in the government. But these published documents lay the groundwork for future restrictions of free speech and public opinion. They lay the foundation for future statist bueraucrats to legislate morality (immorality) and point back to documents such as this one to "prove" that they are simply acting on "established precedent."

Your Federal Tax Dollars

2009-04-16T11:08:00.002-04:00

Here's a fascinating graphic depicting the allocation of federal tax dollars (your money) within the federal government.

I suppose it's only fascinating if you take the time to look around- otherwise it might just be kind of confusing.

A few things that I found interesting:

1. Senators are going to receive an 11% pay increase with the proposed budget for 2009. (The Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) by which most people receive raises is set at 3%, maybe 4%).

2. House Representatives are going to receive a 13% pay increase.

3. For every billion dollars that the government spends, every tax payer has to pay $4. Keeping in mind that the proposed budget is $3.6 trillion, every tax payer has to pay approximately $14,400. Just for next year. Now obviously, those of us in the truly middle class won't pay this much, but I point this out to raise the awareness of just how much money our government is spending each year.

You are an extremist. Yes- YOU!

2009-04-15T12:24:00.002-04:00

If you favor smaller federal government, states rights, gun ownership rights, bans on illegal immigration, a veteran, or American soverignty and exceptionalism, you are a right-wing extremist, as defined by none other than the Department of Homeland Defense's recent report entitled "RightWing Extremism."

This is insane. Our government has now defined citizens as "extremists" if they believe in the principles established by the constitution (2nd amendment- right to bear arms, 10th amendment- states rights). Returning veterans are now viewed with suspicion, since they "possess combat skills and experience that are attractive to rightwing extremists."

Absurd. Here's the Fox news writeup, and here's the full document, released by the statist Homeland Security department.

Note- there's no mention of terrorists, or illegal immigrant crime- just watch out for the bible-thumpers, gun owners, veterans, and people who want the federal government out of our pockets.

I dreamed a dream in times gone by...

2009-04-15T11:47:00.000-04:00

You need to watch this video.

Blog Issues

2009-04-13T13:22:00.003-04:00

I know that several recent posts have looked a little different, and some have been unreadable altogether. I don't know why the text is appearing differently in different posts, but I am working on resolving this. Maybe I need to try a different internet browser?

Anyway, I hope to have it figured out quickly. Thanks to whoever left a note indicating the unreadability (?) of a few posts.

Jobs and Drug Use

2009-04-13T13:10:00.003-04:00

Previous studies have found that kids who work just ten hours a week admit to cheating more often in school and taking less challenging courses.

And a new survey by the Rand Corporation finds that kids who work are also more likely to use drugs and alcohol and smoke cigarettes.

The difference between them and their unemployed peers: lack of supervision for one and extra cash.

“They end up experimenting in such a way that the use of that the use of that income is not really going toward beneficial things for them,” explains Dr. Richard Winer, a psychiatrist.

He says parents need to keep a close eye on where the money is going, and how the job is affecting their child. “Their sleep patterns, their eating patterns, their social skills among peers as well as family member… if there’s a distinct change that’s taken place then it’s probably worth looking into to that, because that might be kind of a warning sign.”

Continue reading here...

Creation

2009-04-13T12:33:00.002-04:00

We are going to Creation Festival NE on June 24-28. There is a sign-up slip available downstairs in the Crash Room that students need to have filled out by their parent or legal guardian. This slip, which is similar to the Mission Trip sign-up document, needs to be turned in by Sunday, May 3, along with the $40 payment.

I'm thankful that Steve and Martha Moyer and Paula Lemke will be accompanying me on the Creation trip as adult chaperones.

Cookout!

2009-04-13T12:26:00.002-04:00

Hey all- we're having a free cookout this Saturday, April 18th, from 3-5:30p at Chuck and Cheri Parks' house. Their address is in the church directory, and if you don't have a directory you can call me or email me for that info.

We're all just meeting up over at their house, so no church vans are available for transportation. You can almost see their house from the church though, so it's not very far away at all.

We're setting up a volleyball net and a few cornhole sets. Students can bring a lawn chair if they want one.

The cookout is free, so just show up and party with us this Saturday!

Love Lustres at Calvary

2009-04-08T15:28:00.003-04:00

Hey all- I read this prayer last night and it resonated with me, especially given the focus of the Christian world on the death and resurrection of Jesus this week, so I wanted to pass it along for you to read and contemplate. I hope it encourages you to praise God for sending Jesus to die in our place. In your place. In my place.

My Father, enlarge my heart, warm my affections, open my lips, supply words that proclaim "Love lustres at Calvary."

There grace removes my burderns and heaps them on thy Son, made a transgressor, a curse, and sin for me;

There the sword of they justice smote the man, thy fellow;

There thy infinite attributes were magnified, and infinite atonement was made;

There infinite punishment was due, and infinite punishment was endured.

Christ was all anguish that I might be all joy, cast off that I might be brought in, trodden down as an enemy that I might be welcomed as a friend, surrendered to hell's worst that I might attain heaven's best, stripped that I might be clothed, wounded that I might be healed, athirst that I might drink, tormented that I might be comforted, made a shame that I might inherit glory, entered darkness that I might have eternal light.

My Savior wept that all tears might be wiped from my eyes, groaned that I might have endless song, endured all pain that I might have unfading health, bore a thorny crown that I might have a glory-diadem, bowed his head that I might uplift mine, experienced reproach that I might receive welcome, closed his eyes in death that I might gaze on unclouded brightness, expired that I might for ever live.

O Father, who spared not thine only Son that thou mightest spare me, All this transfer thy love designed and accomplished; help me to adore thee by lips and life.

O that my every breath might be ecstatic praise, my every step buoyant with delight, as I see my enemies crushed, Satan baffled, defeated, destroyed, sin buried in the ocean of reconciling blood, hell's gates closed, heaven's portal open.

Go forth, O conquering God, and show me the cross, mighty to subdue, comfort, and save.