Whatever Is Noble--The Realm of Entertainment

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Phillipians 4:8



"See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ." Colossians 2:8



As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy." (1 Peter 1:13-16)



The realm of entertainment is indeed a hot topic indeed among Christians today. There are those who feel strongly that they need to stay in touch with culture and watch the newest movies to keep in touch and abreast with their culture and then there are those who openly teach about the dangers and false philosophies of entertainment. Unless you are living in a bubble somewhere, this subject directly affects all of us.



The three verses stated above have enough biblical guidelines to look at the world of entertainment through biblical lenses. There are many more, of course, but for sake of time and space we will use these three.



There is so much this generation of parents have to face that our own parents did not, our culture is saturated with high technology, that its hard for those who are not savvy in the area to keep up and thus more exposure of our children to evil. The world has truly become more desensitized to the wickedness around it and ridicule us when we reject it. There is good to be found in the below categories but I want us to examine the various choices of entertainment:



TV/Movies--the obvious offenders are evident, lust, sexual immorality, sensuality, foul language, witchcraft, but what about the ones that are not? Feminism, children deemed as superior and parents portrayed as imbeciles, rebellion towards authority and God, homosexuality, and the list goes on.



Books/ Magazines-- glossy pages send strong messages, books can have hidden messages, philosophies and agendas that mom and dad don't have time to read through



Video Games--violence, sex saturated, dark and evil, desensitizing our children, satanic-- now they have video games that access the internet and so we move unto..



Internet sites, blogs, Youtube and Facebook--all which put our children and ourselves on the fast track of information--good and bad. Be sure to have your filters on as a smorgasbord of depravities exists for the unsuspecting. Not only that, but also know what your children are reading and who they are visiting. Never let a child be online alone. I use the 'buddy system' for accountability. No one goes online without someone with them. Sometimes, even blogs for girls/boys (that appear godly) can dive into topics like sex, suicide and such so beware!



Music--Since there are many points I want to discuss here, I will be discussing this subject in a different post.



I have 'cleaned house' before and it is amazing how things still find their way in, it is definitely an ongoing process! Our family has adopted a 'walk beside, talk beside' method of dealing with these things and that in the event if they are exposed to ungodly influences-- we counter it with biblical worldview teaching. We must arm our children with the weapons of war that they will need for their time here on earth as we cannot shelter them from everything.



Children will want to imitate what they watch. Parents must be faithful in being responsible--making sure our children are exposed to and have multiple of sources of entertainment that are good, noble and excellent. We must remember that there is a spiritual war in the media culture and Satan, who has been quite successful so far, wants our children for himself.



So let's be diligent, parents, and keep a watchful eye over them so that none, not even one, will be led astray.













***If you are in need of finding good wholesome resources of entertainment for your family, I wholeheartedly recommend Vision Forum--they also have an excellent Beautiful Girlhood and All American Boyhood Adventure Collection.***







(She Looketh Well Series, Part 5)

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Idle Time is the Devil's Playground

(This article is not for young readers.)





It's been said that idle time is the devil's playground or similarly that idle hands is the devils workshop.



I could not agree more. With 8 children I find that keeping them busy goes quite a long way to keeping them out of trouble. While I do believe that it is beneficial to have a time of rest from work and to enjoy some free unscheduled time in one's schedule, I also believe that God has given us time, that it is a gift, and that we should be wise stewards of it. Below is a verse characterizing what can happen when someone (in this case, widows) have too much idle time:



Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying things they ought not to. 1 Timothy 5:13



One of the things that our generation did not grow up with were cell phones. We did not have the opportunities to text our friends about every little detail or gossip that came our way. Today's children know how to text as fast as they can speak. Many news reports have been exposing stories all across America regarding children and teens who have taken to the new rage of 'sexting' their friends on their cell phones during their free time and in the school classrooms. It is alarming to realize that something that seems so harmless as a phone could create so much trouble. Our children become victims and casualties of visual and sexual assault while so many around them--the teachers and parents, did not have a clue. In todays world, our children could be sent offensive images while they are sitting in a church service!!! (And the sad part is, most parents would not even know.)



The use of leisure time should be carefully prayed over and planned out by the parents. Too much leisure time can only lead to trouble. It is wise to make sure children have something to put their hand to throughout the day and a schedule of planned activities carefully prayed over and thought through by mom and dad is priceless-especially for those who find children with too much free time on their hands. Nothing is more irksome to see than a child or teenager whining "I'm bored."







Teach your child to work. So many teens do not even know how to clean their rooms, let alone other areas of the home. Teach them these things and you will be teaching them life skills, good character and responsibility. I can't tell you how many mothers have written me, lamenting how they wished their parents had taught them the basics of caring for a home/cooking, etc. so they would not have to struggle so much now. Parents are often afraid of teaching their children to work around the house because they do not want to 'rob' them of their childhood. This could not be more false! If we are training our children to care for themselves and a family one day, the time spend in their childhood learning these things are priceless. I believe if they are not taught they are being 'robbed' of proper training.





If a childs time is unsupervised the child will find ways to fill it himself. Maybe hanging out at the mall wasting money that could be saved, or too much time on themselves such as spending hours on how they look (fixing their hair, picking out clothes, reading teen magazines that promote such behavior). They might dwindle away hours watching tv, movies or playing video games of which have no eternal value. They can also be drawn to premature relationships with the opposite sex and further enticed by other worldly influences.



Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep, and an idle person will suffer hunger. Proverbs 19:15



Children who contribute at home feel an inward sense of worth as they contribute to the family unit. Teaching your child the value of time, how it is a gift of God and not to be wasted frivolously. We are managers of the short time we are here on earth. The question we should be asking is: How can we use this time to advance God's kingdom on earth and bring glory to Him while we are here?



If we find our children has extra time after school and housework, set your sights on teaching them life skills. Can they prepare meals, sew, garden, mow, do laundry repair broken items, car maintenance etc? In their spare time they could always be reading through the Bible and through good books that inspire or teach them. I love the idea of having them involved in ministry, or what I like to call Kingdom Work. Whether it is within your home, neighborhood or church, through letter writing or prayer--there is always a need for something. There are widows who would love a phone call or lonely neighbors who could use a visit. There are new moms who could use a meal or new neighbors that would love some welcoming cookies. Have your children be outward focused, and not inward, and see the blessings they will reap by doing so!



My last thought is this....PRAY. Ask the Lord exactly what you should be doing as a family and to guide and direct you in these matters for not every family will look the same. Ask Him to show you and your husband what needs to be changed in your child's life so that you can permanently close the door on the devil's playground and use their time wisely as a platform for serving our King.

















(She Looketh Well Series, Part 4)

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Walking with the Wise

Something was different about Johnny.

All through the years he just loved playing baseball, and spending time with his family. He always got A's on his school work and he kept to himself pretty much...until he started to hang out with that new crowd of boys.

These boys were different. They dressed in black, wore spiked collars and black nail polish. But mom and dad didn't say a word, they shrugged it off as a phase and promised they wouldn't interfere. Johnny had a good head on his shoulders and could make his own decisions. After all, they sowed some wild oats when they were teens and didn't they come out alright?

Well Johnny didn't come out alright. This was the wrong crowd. A crowd he should have not gotten anywhere near. What seemed to be harmless turned into a lifetime of addiction, shame, guilt and regret that changed the course of his life. He could not believe the damage he had done. Where were his parents, he wondered bitterly...why didn't they warn me?

"Do not be mislead. Bad company corrupts good character. Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God--I say this to your shame." 1 Corinthians 15:33-34

Johnny's parents were tragically mislead. They thought that Johnny's new friends were harmless, even though there were many red flags. They thought they should not interfere and it resulted in years of rebellious recovery for Johnny. It nearly cost him his life. They neglected their responsibility as parents and paid the high price for it.

I wonder how many times parents have turned a blind eye to their children's friends for other reasons. Perhaps to gain their child's approval, or to help them to become popular. They might have trouble with saying no. Or maybe they assumed the 'I am your friend, not your parent' position. Some just honestly did not notice until it was too late. When the above happens heavy consequences can lie in the future, many grieving parents who have lost their child can attest to this.

He who walks with the wise become wise, but a companion of fools suffer harm. -Proverbs 13:20

Who are your children's friends? Are those relationships bringing them closer to God? If not, is that lining up with the biblical goals for your family? We need to ask ourselves these hard question as we carefully assess their friends.

Our children need to walk with the wise. They need to spend time with the Lord and in His word to develop a strong, faithful walk with him. They also need to spend time with mom and dad. Parents need to actively put time into their children by shepherding their hearts and discipling. Do not leave this for another. Do not assume that when they get older they will make wise choices. Other wise friends can also include grandparents, elders, family members, godly men and women, boys and girls whom have a strong personal relationship with God (all screened by you and your husband, of course, and never to replace you). Many parents find they can do this more effectively by getting together with other families and watching over their children in a supervised setting rather than have them go out/spend time by themselves alone.

Folly is bound up in the heart of a child. Proverbs 22:15



Children do not know how to discern danger and many are actually drawn to it. If foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child, then we need to be even more attentive, alert and purposeful in our parenting. The luring away of our children can happen subtly and quickly, I have even heard of stories of children being negatively influenced in what would be considered as 'safe places' such a youth groups, etc. by the other youth there whose parents who did not care or watch over what the children did. Many parents chose to homeschool to protect their children but stopped short there, the other activities the children were involved in surrounded them with the same influences they would have found as if they were going to school. These didn't understand what happened since they felt they were protecting them by homeschooling. And so we go on to this verse:

The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it. Proverbs 27:12

We were appointed by God to be in authority over our children. Not the culture, not the village, not Dr. Phil, not parenting magazines or psychologists. There are many voices that will pull us away from doing what we know is right with our children--do not listen to them, they are lies! (Colossians 2:8) Such as to let them wear that revealing outfit you don't approve of, or go to that party where you know there will only be trouble. Follow your instincts and say no! Have courage and be bold--these are our children that are at stake. God put you in charge. No one will love and protect them the way you and your husband do. The people who will want to influence your children and lure them away will not be around for them when they fall.

Stand your ground, Christian parents!

Protect your children

and help them to walk with the wise!









Note: Teaching our children to protect themselves is a must-- of course they will be in contact with non-Christians so it is important to teach them to respond in Christian love, sharing the good news of the gospel.

(She Looketh Well Series--Part 3)

She Does Not Eat the Bread of Idleness

We are beginning this series because I believe there is a great need to have discernment in today's morally decaying culture to protect the family. The Proverbs 31 woman "looked well to the ways of her household and did not eat the bread of idleness" as we see in verse 27 and we should do likewise. Other translations include:

She carefully watches everything in her household...

She gives attention to the ways of her family...

She keeps a close eye on the conduct of her family...

We need to be ever so careful to not "eat the bread of idleness" by turning a blind eye to the affairs of our family or household, being too busy to notice, or too lazy to care. Instead, we need to be busy faithfully managing the household and watching over the affairs of our family. We need to learn to do it well and practice discernment.

Here is the definition:

dis·cern

1.to perceive by the sight or some other sense or by the intellect; see, recognize, or apprehend.

2.to distinguish mentally; recognize as distinct or different; discriminate: He is capable of discerning right from wrong.

Noah Websters Dictionary of 1828 also adds:

To see or understand the difference, as to make distinction, as to discern between evil and good, truth and falsehood.

Not only will it take wisdom and discernment to really look well to the ways of our household, but it will take a sacrifice on our behalf.

It will mean we have to take seriously what scripture says.

It means we will have to take a close look at what we have been mindlessly allowing in our homes.

It means we will have to free up time to turn our homes around .

It means purposefully living a holy life yourself.

It also means that we do not follow the world's mold or philosophy of raising children. We look to the Bible as our main source of parental wisdom and we start from there. We pray, study and set biblical goals for our children. Whatever does not line up with these goals needs to be reassessed.

Mothers, we need to be diligent in this area. This is a treacherously, wicked culture that is quickly subduing, discipling and drawing our children faster away from the Lord than ever before. But there is something we can do about it...we can say no to the evil and stand strong on the battle frontlines for their hearts and futures.

I am prepared to do that.

I am prepared to fight the war that has been waged against our children.

Now my question is....

Are you?

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(She Looketh Well Series--Part 2)

She Looketh Well to the Ways of Her Household

"Do not be mislead. Bad company corrupts good character. Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God--I say this to your shame." 1 Corinthians 15:33-34

Negative influences can have a profound effect upon our childrens lives if we are not careful. The Bible warns us not to be mislead, and we need this warning more than ever in the 21st century. The onslaught of wickedness is prevalent in our culture and we need to be a discerning people. Being able to wisely choose what is right and wrong in our culture and not succumbing to every whim that seems temporarily pleasurable. We could be doing considerable damage to our children and future generations by not being careful of the influences that we allow into their lives.

We want to have the hearts of our children in order to direct our children toward God and righteousness. We cannot do that well if we do not have their hearts (Malachi 4:6). Temptation towards worldliness can be a powerful force tugging their hearts away from God. We are told to be in the world and not of it and we need to take this warning seriously.

The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it. Proverbs 27:12

In the next few posts I will be examining a few areas of interest:

Friends/Peers
Entertainment
Music
Role Models
Leisure Time
Clothing/Outward Attire
Hypocrisy of Parents: A Stumbling Block

I hope you will join me...








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(She Looketh Well Series--Part 1)