Thursday, July 10, 2008

the family that prays together

Cause Way Thursday
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Seriously - there are times I look around the church and see mostly old women, and mothers with small children. Noticeably absent are the men.
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I could have told you that
churchgoing married couples happier
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A new analysis of three major national surveys claims that married couples who attend church together tend to be happier than couples who rarely or never attend services and are also less likely to divorce.

[ click here to read entire article]
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your child’s heart in pieces
sexual brokenness in teens
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By: Tim Geiger

Going to pieces

Dan and Michelle sat in front of their 16-year-old son Jared, who refused to make eye contact. Much was said, but now the silence was oppressive. The need to say more, to clarify positions and convince the other side of the legitimacy of their arguments, weighed on them all. No one could figure out what to say next. They all yearned to be heard and understood, but silence offered safety in the midst of this battle of ideals and wills. They sought safety among family members who had not been enemies eight hours earlier.

That morning Michelle had found some e-mails left on the printer. When she picked them up she realized they were Jared’s, but she was not sure from whom. Suddenly a phrase jumped off the page at her, then another and a third. She was shocked at what she read. All were sexually explicit. All were describing homosexual behavior—homosexual behavior between her son and this other person, whom she did not know. And now, Michelle was convinced she didn’t even know her own son.
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So what do you do, when the life you hope for yourselves and your children falls to pieces? Do you try to glue the pieces back in the same pattern they were in previously—to get back to “normal?” Do you put the pieces in a new arrangement that affirms your teen’s decisions? Do you throw out the pieces and give up on your dreams for your family? Is it some synthesis of all these? Is it none of the above?
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[click here to read rest of article]
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Editor’s note: While you may have never experienced the difficulties described in this article with your own or someone else’s teenager, we still think it’s vitally important for you to read and digest this valuable information. To youth workers and pastors—please make multiple copies of this article and stick them in an easily accessed place. When the time comes to minister to shocked and hurting parents, please pass a copy on to them. To parents—please read this article to gain a biblical perspective on choices, teenage sexuality and a biblical understanding/response.
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What do you think of this article?
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Current Culture Image

This K-Y® ad appeared in the May 23 and 30, 2008 issues of Entertainment Weekly (pp. 77 and 91, respectively). The ad shows a blue “yours: for him personal lubricant” tube and a purple “mine: for her personal lubricant” tube, with a tag line that reads, “The best thing to happen to sex since love.” The small print at the bottom points to a website: keeplifesexy.com .

If you're up to it,
talk to your teens about this ad. It could be used to discuss prevailing values, attitudes, and behaviors regarding sexuality (love, sex, intimacy), and the loosening mores regarding the marketing of sexual aids in mainstream magazines.
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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The biggest problem for teenagers is that homosexuality is a psychological disorder that is being treated as normal behavior in the popular culture. And teens, who are searching for ways to define themselves as part of a group, do that defining through the popular culture.

I think the way to avoid having a son or daughter in this situation is to:

1) Be actively involved in their lives. Be the person they trust to come to for answers. Of course, this requires a huge amount of effort I think a lot of parents would rather skip out on.

2)Restrict their intake of media (TV, internet, etc.) to what they can critically process given their age, maturity level, etc. As a teacher, I've been shocked, at times, to hear what my students are watching on TV or on the internet.

3)When you're ready to give the sex talk, explain to them that there are certain body parts that feel good when they are touched and it doesn't matter much who or what does the touching--but that the only appropriate way is between a married man and woman.

One of the seductions of homosexuality is that it feels good and that it's just another way of feeling good. There's a song out now to the effect that "I tried it and I liked it."

To which adults should say "of course it feels good, so does sniffing glue and getting drunk, but that's not the way we do that.

4) Finally, actively and often show appropriate affection for your children. Tell them that you love them. Much of the psychological disorder that is homosexuality comes from an alienation from one or the other parent.