THE MEDIA
HUMOR - FACEBOOK - PARENTAL GUIDANCE
What does your sense of humor say about you? As people see
your capacity to enjoy yourself in good, clean fun, they are more
likely to say, "There is a Christian blessed by God!"
If you tend to be often sullen and disagreeable, however,
then they probably won't look for your brand of faith.
The average child laughs about four hundred times a day,
says Barb Fisher, a certified laughter yoga leader. The average
adult laughs only about fifteen times every day.* What does that
imply? Why do we seem to lose our sense of humor as we get older?
Everyone knows an old grump who can't find anything to laugh
about unless it's at another's expense. There is no joy in that
sort of humor! But we seldom see children who can't enjoy
themselves, unless they're ill.
In "The Anatomy of an Illness as Perceived by the Patient,"
Norman Cousins tells of being hospitalized with a rare, crippling
disease. Diagnosed as incurable, Cousins checked out of the
hospital. Aware of the harmful effects that negative emotions can
have on the body, Cousins reasoned that the reverse would also be
true. So he borrowed a movie projector and prescribed his own
treatment, consisting of Marx Brothers films and old Candid
Camera reruns.
It didn't take long for him to discover that ten minutes of
laughter provided two hours of pain-free sleep. Amazingly, his
debilitating disease was eventually reversed. After the account
of his victory appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine,
Cousins received more than three thousand letters from
appreciative physicians throughout the world.
My birth family was poor, but we never sat around feeling
sorry for ourselves. Our home was constantly full of laughter!
Although my Mom had more than her share of burdens, she often
joined in the fun.
Once she got the brunt of a shaving cream fight we kids got
into. She managed to wrestle the can away from me as I ran to
lock myself in the bathroom. I sat there a half hour, peering
under the door to see her feet, until I was sure she had given up
and the coast was clear. When I opened the door, there she was
standing on a smali stool to the side, with a shaving cream can
in her hand. She proceeded to empty the contents on my face and
head!
Even when us kids were sick, my Mom tried to cheer us up by
making us laugh. Thinking back, it did seem to make us feel
better.
The Lord wants us to have joy in this world and to find
laughter and mirth even in the midst of difficulty. May you take
on the joy of the Lord so that it can help you find the peace and
health the Lord wants for all His people.
..........
Joe Corrales serves as pastor of Heart of Worship church in San
Antonio, TX.
*"Laugh Your Way To Wellness With Yoga Trend" (ScienceDaily,
www.sciencedaily. com, May 6, 2008)
September 2009 "The Bible Advocate" - a publication of the
Church of God, Seventh Day, Denver, CO. USA
WOULD JESUS JOIN FACEBOOK?
by
Emily Osburne
"Please, spare me the lecture on texting," I overheard an
eye-rolling teenager blurt out in the grocery store. Her Mom, not
in the mood for an attitude, grabbed the phone and threw it in
her purse.
WHAT TEENS THINK
"Why are adults always on our backs about technology? If they
aren't griping about texting at the table, they're looking over
our shoulder as we post to a friend's wall.
"And I don't get why magazines and newspapers preach about the
dangers of online predators showing up on social networking
sites. I have never allowed a random guy access to my profile.
It's all a bunch of hype, if you ask me."
WHAT PARENTS THINK
"I just want my son back. We used to sit on the back porch and
talk, but now I can't get him to look up from his phone. He's
glued to so many screens: the computer screen, the TV screen, and
the little screen on his flip phone that buzzes about a hundred
times a day."
So who is right in the technology battle? Are young people simply
using a new medium to express themselves and connect with
friends? Are old people out of the loop? Actually, those are the
wrong questions.
The right question is "Would Jesus join Facebook (or MySpace,
Twitter, or Digg)"?
NEED TO CONNECT
The technology may be new, but the question isn't. Teens in the
80's fought with their parents over using the phone. Teens in the
50's begged to watch TV, just as young people in the 20's waited
for the mailman. Then would Jesus have talked on the phone,
watched TV, and written letters?
Probably so. After all, everyone wants to connect. In fact, God
made us to be social creatures. Since the beginning of time, guys
and gals of all ages have used every ounce of creativity to draw
near to their buddies, Your desire to text is no different than
your granny's desire to write a letter to her beau. Even in the
Garden of Eden, when Adam was chillin' with all the animals in
the garden, God noted, "It is not good that man should be alone"
(Genesis 2:18).
God created Eve so Adam wouldn't be alone, even though Adam had
perfect communion with God. We are undeniably created to be
social. Social networks are proof that our hearts are designed
for closeness with others.
DOWNSIDE
But can you achieve closeness through social networking? In a
way, yes. In seconds, you can access your entire clan of friends.
You know how many bowls of Cheerios they ate for breakfast. You
can see your gal pal's new haircut and view a random street sign
that your friend thought was funny because it read, "Dips. Do not
Enter." If nothing else, social networking keeps you in the know
about who broke up with whom and where to meet for pizza after
the game.
Truthfully, though, the depth of conversation doesn't go past the
shallow end when communicating through a screen. Social networks
and texts can never replace face-to-face interaction. Even Paul,
who connected to friends through letters, said, "We made every
effort to see you" (1 Thessalonians 2:17, NIV).
Everyone wants a best friend, but you probably won't reach that
level only by reading words on a monitor. How can you react to
your friend's funny face through three little letters: lol?
Another problem with overusing social networking is that it
intrudes on life. Do you ever feel like you are ALWAYS ON, ALWAYS
CONNECTED, ALWAYS AT SCHOOL? Solitude is becoming extinct along
with VHS tapes and books. Your quiet time can be spent with God
or simply alone with your thoughts. It's impossible to be
everything God created you to be if you're never alone with Him,
allowing Him to whisper to your soul.The beeping, buzzing, and
ringing can drown out the gentle nudges God is giving you.
TAKE CONTROL
So would Jesus join Facebook? Why not? He loves people. He came
to proclaim the truth, and He can use anything to reach out to
those He loves. However, Jesus didn't walk through the crowds in
Jerusalem, distracted by incoming status updates on His iPhone.
He was so present in the moment that He felt when a desperate
woman touched His cloak, trying to be healed. That kind of
awareness isn't possible with our eyes glued to a computer screen
24/7.
Decide to take control of your technology, rather than allowing
it to control you. Remember what Paul wrote: "And even though I
am allowed to do anything; I must not become a slave to anything"
(1 Corinthians 6:12, NLT). You have the power to turn off the
computer long enough to hang out with the fam. You own your
phone; it doesn't own you. They're called Crackberries for a
reason. With such addictive technology, be sure to set a few
boundaries.
..........
Emily Osburne writes from McDonough, GA.
Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible,
New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission
of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All
rights reserved.
September 2009 "The Bible Advocate" - a publication of the Church
of God, Seventh Day, Denver, CO. USA
PARENTAL GUIDANCE REQUIRED
by
Pat Jeanne Davis
Now, more than ever, our kids need help making wise media
decisions.
John was close to tears while pacing the kitchen floor.
"It's rated PG-13, Mom. All my friends are going. Justin's mother
is taking us to the mall. I'll look like a fool if I say you
won't let me see it."
It was the end of a long school week filled with many tests
for my fifteen-year-old son. I felt he deserved a break, too, so
I agreed he could go out with his pals. But it didn't include
going to a film that neither my husband nor I approved of him
seeing.
"Why are you spoiling my fun?" John went to his room and
slammed the door.
To keep our boys' minds and hearts pure for as long as
possible, my husband and I soon realized that neither the ratings
for films and video games nor the evaluations of other parents
could be our guide. Even with an MPAA rating of PG-13, or even
PG, a film could quickly gravitate into profanity-filled verbal
exchanges, violence, and sexual references or scenes that
included nudity. I tired of having to fast forward through these
offensive scenes. Often I stopped the film and turned off the
set.
Explicit sex and violence on the Internet and in films,
video games, and television, as well as some popular music and
certain teen magazines - these powerful forces can corrupt our
children. They exploit and give messages with unrealistic
expectations. Often sexual encounters are seen as casual events
and portrayed without relationship and consequences.
What can you as a parent do? Try following these....
Guidelines
Exercise responsibility.
The apostle Paul exhorts Christians to "bring [your
children] up in the training and instruction of the Lord"
(Ephesians 6:4). Parents are the best interpreters of
program content, but too many of them are unclear about what
their child should be viewing. Assume responsibility for your
children's viewing habits so you can "Train [them] in the way
[they] should go ... " (Proverbs 22:6).
Supervise entertainment.
Many children have a TV set in their bedrooms. Most kids say
that their parents have no rules about films and television
viewing, according to a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation in
2005. 1 Set limits and screen television viewing.
Ask your children what videos will be shown at the
sleepover.
Participate in viewing.
While viewing a program with your children, you can discuss
it and draw lessons from the characters' experiences. You then
can help them form an opinion based on biblical and moral
standards. Deuteronomy 6:6, 7 states:
These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your
hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you
sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down
and when you get up.
Become the primary instructor.
A study in 2008 conducted by the Rand Corporation revealed
the dramatic impact on adolescents of sexual content portrayed in
the media. It showed that kids are more sexually active in
proportion to viewing these programs. 2
Rand concluded, "Our research offers only limited insight
into the best method for ameliorating the effects of TV sexual
content on youth behavior but clearly indicates the need to do
so." 3
As primary instructor, help your children put on the whole
armor of God so they can stand against the Devil's schemes
(Ephesians 6:11-17). Be sure to teach them the biblical view of
sex, that God's instructions are for their protection and that
they can always come to you with questions.
Become informed about ratings.
You can obtain information on a video or movie by visiting
www.screenit.com, an entertainment review site for parents. Read
comments about the film, a summary of plot content, and the
reason for its rating. (See box for other resources.)
The criteria for judging a film have changed for the worse.
A film rated PG-13 five years ago could carry a PG rating today.4
Either rating can include an adult situation, foul language,
violence, and nudity. I have heard that kids at younger ages are
moving on to shows created with older kids in mind. Many TV-14
ratings are questionable for this age group.
Additionally, studies conducted in 2004 show that sexual
content and the level of violence in video games are on the rise.
The Kids Risk Project from Harvard School of Public Health
reveals that video game content descriptors do not always reflect
what is in the game concerning the severity of violence and
graphic sexual contents. 5 As a result, parents can't make
informed decisions. There also exists a gray area between those
games rated "Teen" and those rated "Mature."
Check out other resources.
You can borrow videos and DVD's distributed by Family
Favorites, Hallmark, and Disney from the public library. If in
doubt about any movie borrowed from the adult section, view it
beforehand. If not appropriate, you can return it at no cost.
Often, reading the book before seeing the film will enhance the
viewing experience.
Fight the negative effects of excessive viewing. Many kids
sit in front of the TV out of sheer boredom. Statistics say that
school-age children watch television more than five hours a day.
Replace television with productive activities (reading, board
games, projects) that can recapture the imagination while
improving family time. Also, physical activity that builds bodies
and burns calories prevents obesity in your children.6
Set a godly example.
Be sure to teach your children not by talking about godly
values but by translating them into your life. Don't send a
double message by watching ungodly programming. Such
inconsistency says that it's all right for an adult, but not for
them, to view trash. Live by the psalmist's desire to "walk in my
house with blameless heart. I will set before my eyes no vile
thing" (Psalm 101:2b, 3).
Eternal benefit
My son didn't go to the cinema that Friday night. Instead he
called another friend and they went skateboarding. When I picked
him up later, John had had so much fun that he'd forgotten about
the movie. He even apologized for arguing with me.
I learned a valuable lesson through this experience: that
children feel safe and secure when a loving parent takes charge.
We will never regret our decision to carefully monitor both
television and video viewing. And the benefit to our children
will be everlasting.
..........
Pat Jeanne Davis writes from PhiLadeLphia, PA. Scripture
quotations are from the New International Version.
References
1. Kaiser Family Foundation (wwwkff.
org/entmedia/entmedia030905nr.cfm)
2. Rand Corporation
(www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB9398/index1. html)
3. "Watching Sex on Television Predicts Adolescent Initiation of
Sexual Behavior," Pediatrics, September 2004
4. Kids Risk (www.kidsrisk.harvard.edu/fags6.htm)
5. Ibid.
6. Creators Syndicate (www.creators.
com/health/rallie-mcallister-your-health/
background-tv-harmful-for-kids.html)
Resources
Feature Films for Families (www. fomilytv.com)
Ted Baehr's Movieguide (www. movieguide.org)
Parents Television Council (www. parentstv.org)
Plugged In (www. pluggedinonline.com/)
Family Values Cinema (www. familyvoluescinema.com)
..........
From "The Bible Advocte" - September 2009 - a publication of the
Church of God, Seventh Day, Denver, CO. USA
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