Today, however, I struggle to give my family those same memories. Most network producers use suggestive dialogue, over the top violence, and gratuitous sex scenes to spice up their plots. Instead of bonding over the laughter of our favorite TV show, I cover my children’s eyes and send them to bed before the last round of Wheel of Fortune.
When I was little, I couldn’t wait to sit down in front of my television set on Thursday evenings. With my bowl of popcorn nearby, I’d munch away and laugh at the antics of iconic TV characters such as the educated and witty Huxtable family on THE COSBY SHOW and the loveable political leanings of everyone’s favorite Republican, Alex P. Keaton on FAMILY TIES. It was funny, smart, and, most of all, family friendly.
Today, however, I struggle to give my family those same memories. Most network producers use suggestive dialogue, over the top violence, and gratuitous sex scenes to spice up their plots. Instead of bonding over the laughter of our favorite TV show, I cover my children’s eyes and send them to bed before the last round of Wheel of Fortune.
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Today as the percentage of single women continues to grow, so do the questions, "Lord, You said you would give me the desires of my heart. Why am I still single?" It seems that singleness to some is like an invisible cloud that denotes a sense of failure. It is like some type of plague. In our society it seems that a cloak of negativity blankets those who are not in relationships. Even at church so much emphasis is put on strengthening marriages and families-which is needed-that many singles are left feeling like something's missing until they are married and have a family of their own. It is like they're in a holding pattern, walking around with question marks over their heads. “So, you’re going to be a pastor.” Have you heard that before—perhaps from a co-worker, family member or long-time friend? Even more, have you wondered what they mean? What is the underlying meaning of their question? Before you get frustrated by everyone’s questions and concerns, take some time to understand why they are concerned. Pastoring is the greatest privilege to which a human could be called. The position is a humbling honor. People say Detroit is broken and bankrupt. Yet Southern Baptist church planter Daryl Gaddy has another word for his beleaguered city: home. Detroit became the largest city in American history to file for bankruptcy last summer -- a decline that began in the 1950s and accelerated in the 1980s. The city's auto industry had cranked out 90 percent of American soldiers' helmets during World War II and half of the Consolidated B-24 Liberator bombers. But today more than half of the city's 140 square miles sit vacant. A million people have left the city since 1950. No matter what the pundits say, Gaddy sees hope for Detroit "because of the Spirit of God and the Word of God." Katy Perry, who has never shied away from talking about her faith and her Christian upbringing, recently opened up about answered prayers, spirituality and her boyfriend, John Mayer. Perry, whose given name is Katheryn Hudson, was raised in a Pentecostal home as the middle child of two traveling ministers. In an interview for the February cover story of GQ, Perry talked about how God answered her prayers about her body at age 11. “I’ve never had any plastic surgery,” the pop superstar said. “Not a nose, not a chin, not a cheek, not a t--. So my messages of self-empowerment are truly coming from an au naturel product.” Enthuse Entertainment’s family-friendly drama Alone Yet Not Alone garnered a 2014 Oscar nomination for Best Original Song. The nominated title song was written by Bruce Broughton and Dennis Spiegel and sung by best-selling author and artist Joni Eareckson Tada. The song beat out others by Coldplay, Taylor Swift, Celine Dion and Lana Del Rey. The other nominations include Frozen's "Let it Go," "Ordinary Love" by U2 from Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, Pharrell Williams' "Happy" from Despicable Me 2 and Karen O's "The Moon Song" from Her. I don’t listen to secular radio. I haven’t listened to secular radio on purpose since I was saved and tossed thousands of dollars of secular CDs in the garbage. As dark as secular music was back then, mainstream music has taken on a whole new level of demonic influence as popular radio songs work to get our youth to confess they are demon-inspired, if not demon possessed. This revelation came as I was driving across the state of Florida with my teenaged daughter recently and decided to take a listen to what type of music today’s youth finds appealing. I heard the typical Miley Cyrus and Katy Perry hits that were hardly wholesome but not especially wicked. But I also heard tunes from "artists" like Eminem, Rihanna and Imagine Dragons that shocked me. Recently in the prayer class I lead at our church in Oklahoma City, I was explaining to the new children why we take one Sunday a month from their regular lessons to focus on prayer. “We want you to know God, not just know about Him, and hear God, not just hear about Him,” I explained. If we want our children to know God and not just know about Him, we need to teach them to pray and pray with them. Children could do all kinds of worksheets about God and hear stories about Him, but it is when they talk to and listen to God that they begin to know His heart. The Bible is full of godly single men who served God faithfully. The prophet Jeremiah, the apostle Paul and, of course, the Lord Jesus come to mind first. However, they suffered difficult lives and died. If they had wives and children, it would have been virtually impossible to both be faithful to their ministry and faithful to their families. In their circumstances, being single was the best life state for what God was asking of them. So, as a general rule, it seems that men who are called to pastoral ministry and singleness are also called to difficult and possibly even deadly ministry, such as missionary work in a hostile culture where a family would be a liability. First grader Brynn Williams presentation of her family's Star of Bethlehem was shut down because she's "not allowed to talk about the Bible in school." Photo: Brynn Williams with the family's Star of Bethlehem Brynn's incident at Temecula Valley Unified School District comes on the heels of a candy cane case involving West Covina Unified School District first grader Isaiah Martinez who was told, "Jesus is not allowed in school." A copy of that press release was sent out by Advocates for Faith & Freedom last week and may be found here. |
Walter Blackwood
Associate Pastor with The Bridge Community of Faith in Kelowna BC Canada. Archives
May 2017
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