Urgent Parent Blog: Dangers of Texting

This is a very troubling article of the dangers of text messaging. Parents, please take time to read through this. It will be worth your time. Click on the title for the article...Poisoned Web: A Girl’s Nude Photo, and Altered Lives. Below is the beginning of the article.

LACEY, Wash. — One day last winter Margarite posed naked before her bathroom mirror, held up her cellphone and took a picture. Then she sent the full-length frontal photo to Isaiah, her new boyfriend. 

Both were in eighth grade. 

They broke up soon after. A few weeks later, Isaiah forwarded the photo to another eighth-grade girl, once a friend of Margarite’s. Around 11 o’clock at night, that girl slapped a text message on it. 

“Ho Alert!” she typed. “If you think this girl is a whore, then text this to all your friends.” Then she clicked open the long list of contacts on her phone and pressed “send.” 

In less than 24 hours, the effect was as if Margarite, 14, had sauntered naked down the hallways of the four middle schools in this racially and economically diverse suburb of the state capital, Olympia. Hundreds, possibly thousands, of students had received her photo and forwarded it.

Loving God Above All

I recently sat down to start through Britt Merrick's book, Big God. To be honest, I wasn't prepared for the first chapter. In that chapter he shares a heart-wrenching story about his daughter's fight with cancer. What I appreciate are his blunt authenticity and his complete dependence upon God. Sitting in my office, I find myself sweetly convicted. Why? Well, he talked about loving God above all, even his child. He writes, "I can't tell you how many nights I've put Daisy to bed and said, "I love you, Daisy. Daddy loves you more than anything in the world." She always corrected me, "Nuh-uh, Daddy. Not more than God. You love God more than you love me. And I love God more than I love you." He goes on to write, “That’s the most wonderful thing you could ever hear as a Christian parent.” With that my heart cried out, “AMEN!” However, immediately I found myself repenting. Jesus says in Matthew 23:37-38 "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment." Do your children know the greatest love of your heart? Do you know it? Is it rooted in the joy of loving God above all? These are the questions I find myself wrestling with now. Praying for you all.

How does the gospel conquer the sin of pornography?

The statistics with students and pornography are startling. This is a battle that many young men and young women will face. Below is a brief discussion from three very respected pastors and theologians on how the gospel can help one conquer this destructive sin. Check it out.

What is "Success" in Parenting Teens?

Let me be the first to say that I am not a perfect parent. Reading this article sweetly convicted and challenged me in some much needed areas. Rather than trying to summarize the article I have attached it for you to read on your own. Take it slowly and really focus in on what God is doing in your heart. It is a little long but please do not give up. It will be well worth your time. My goal is to post the best of what I read in regards to parenting and this is definitely one of them. Know that we are praying for you all. Click here to connect to the article.

How do you grow in your relationship with a child who is becoming an adult?

This is the second video we have posted from the CCEF. I highly encourage you to check out their site (http://www.ccef.org/). It is full of resources that are Christ-centered and extremely helpful.

What is the difference between loving and enabling?

Family Ministry: Discipleship Starts at Home

This is a great blog from Winfield Bevins at the http://theresurgence.com/. You can check it out here http://theresurgence.com/2010/12/02/family-ministry-discipleship-starts-at-home. One line from the blog that has impacted me greatly is "If every family in every church got serious about making disciples in the home, it would change our nation and our world." It's short and worth the time. Praying for you all.