Teenagers still need Object Lessons

So we have been having this ongoing discussion around our house about purity in every thing....in speech, in thought, in deed.  If you have been around this blog for a few weeks then you have read the post where I realized that my family had become comfortable with RoadKill (see that post here).

Well, all of this talking led to our oldest sending me an ad for the TV Guardian...www.tvguardian.com

TV Guardian is a filter for the filthy language that you don't want to hear or want your children to hear.  Supposedly, it will filter sexual innuendos as well.  Not sure exactly how it can mute "tone" but it must have some kind of sensors?  Who knew technology had become so advanced?  (sarcasm totally mine).  But the idea is that you can install this filter and BINGO - no more foul language in your home! Why..it will even substitute the language for you and insert a "more appropriate term" in its place.  

Okay.  

Hmmmmm......

So I posed this analogy back to dear daughter.  

If I made brownies, but mixed in dog poop, would you eat them? No way. But what if I sanitized (like TV Guardian) the dog poop? Would you still eat the brownies? I mean, I sanitized the poop, shouldn't be anything in the brownies that is harmful for you, it won't taste like poop, matter of fact, you wouldn't even know it was in there unless I told you. Would you still eat the brownies? 

 It is sorta the same way I feel about "bleeping" out the offensive part of the show. Why would you watch the other parts? It is made by the same people who had no problem putting the offensive parts in there. You wouldn't trust me ever again to make brownies if I served you brownies made with dog poop, sanitized or not.

Are we not called to more than that?  I mean, really....I guess it just struck me as odd to be asked to just "bleep the offensive parts" and consider that the rest is ok.  But the rest is not okay because what about the intent, the motives, the desires that are not necessarily written in "filthy language" and cannot be bleeped but are there...are filling our hearts and minds with things that are in direct opposition to the Word of God. Why would you want to listen to and/or watch the rest?  

Just like brownies made with dog poop, the poop touches every part of that brownie....you cannot separate the poop from the chocolate.  And I don't know about you, but I prefer pure chocolate!

It Really is a Small World After All...

Apparently, as a starry-eyed newlywed in 1987, I would meet (and work with) someone who would go on to become famous one day.

The place... Euless, Texas.  (That is a city between Dallas and Fort Worth in case you are wondering.)

The setting....Euless First Baptist Church.

I had the privilege while in graduate school to work as staff at Euless First Baptist Church.  I worked as the Assistant Director of the Crisis Pregnancy Center.  While in that position, I was mentored by the Director, a young Godly woman whose husband was a seminary student.  Jane was a delight to be around  and she always kept her sense of humor with her.  She was ministry-focused but business-minded.

We left Euless in 1989 and moved to Shreveport.  Jane and I kept in touch initially but you know how life goes.

We moved to Birmingham in 1999.  Somewhere in the 2000s....maybe 2006, I saw a news article on Jane and her sister in the Birmingham News!  She was here!  So I called her and we had a "catch-up chat" and it was good.  We finally saw each other at a Christmas church event and realized we hadn't changed (nor aged) one bit.  It was a refreshing time of reconnection and to see each other's children.

But how does this connect to meeting someone famous?

Remember when I told you Jane was ministry-focused but business-minded?  Well, you are not going to believe who Jane is.....she is the co-founder and creator of E-mealz.com.  I don't know how many members E-mealz has but it has almost 50,000 fans on Facebook.  That's saying alot.  But the goal of E-mealz is to help you "make time for family".  What a great goal!  You can check out E-mealz by clicking on the banner below.  It truly is a revolutionary concept!  And remember, you never know who you know that will go on to do something revolutionary or become famous!!