Friday, September 24, 2010
Special Alert!
I HAVE NOTED THAT THERE HAVE NOT BEEN MANY WHO HAVE VISITED THIS SITE LATELY. IF YOU ARE ONE WHO HAS AND LIKE WHAT I HAVE POSTED OR WOULD LIKE TO SEE OTHER THINGS POSTED, I NEED YOU TO CONTACT ME (yonashiro@bellsouth.net). I AM CONSIDERING SUSPENDING POSTING ANY MORE THINGS UNTIL I AM SURE THERE IS EVEN ONE PERSON WHO WOULD LIKE TO READ WHAT I POST HERE. Thank you, Stan
Thursday, September 16, 2010
#25 - Evangelism in My Experience 2 – Invite, But Be Ready to Personally Share
I grew up in a nominal Buddhist home, by which I mean my parents observed Buddhist traditions as their families had for generations but they didn’t know nor teach (Praise God!) my brother and I anything about Buddhism. (This is just as many Christians church-goers observe Christmas and Easter but have never clearly heard the gospel.) And so, throughout my life, I was never exposed to what it means to be a Christian nor did I have any Christian friends who could be an example of someone living for Christ
Then, during my semester of student-teaching in college, a student colleague began stuffing Four Spiritual Law tracts in my pocket every time he saw me. He would simply say, “You gotta read that” before dashing away. I remember going home and simply tossing the tracts in my desk drawer. Well, on my last day student- teaching, the guy pulls up to me on his motorcycle and says, “You’ve gotta come to the university this Friday night to hear my cousin give the message at a student meeting.” Well, that Friday night, I was driving to a high school football game when I suddenly found myself turning the wheel of the car and headed instead towards the university and ended up at the Christian student meeting. (Since I had no intention of going to that meeting, I’ve always believed that God somehow took control of that car and had me drive to that meeting. I have no other way to explain it.)
At that meeting, I enjoyed the music and the message was okay but it was all a bit over-the-top for me with my background. Fortunately, as I was enjoying refreshments afterwards, a student approached me and took the time to read through with me that same booklet that I had multiple copies of at home. When he asked me after a few minutes whether I would like to have Christ in my life or outside my life (the choice presented in the booklet), I saw my choice clearly and said, “Yes, I would like to have Him in my life.”
Lessons to Remember:
1)Unlike the guy who merely kept sticking tracts in my pocket, don’t just give a tract to someone. Do everything you can to sit down and go through it with him/her. Assure them at the start that it will take no more than 10 minutes and you’ll be likely to get an affirmative answer.
2)Of course, you should invite people to Christian outreach events. But as with the tracts (above), offer to personally escort the person you are inviting to the event. In that way, you are most likely to be sure the person attends the meeting BUT ALSO it assures that the person will not feel alone at the meeting and will have someone they can easily ask questions of afterwards.
3) Be sure not to rely on the person giving the message at the Christian event to have clearly communicated the gospel. Many people – such as myself – respond more often to someone PERSONALLY sharing the gospel with them than to a speaker’s invitation. Even if they do say they prayed with the speaker, going through the gospel personally with the individual will confirm that they truly understood what they prayed. (Too often, people who SAY they prayed to receive Christ do not truly understand what they have done.)
IN CASE YOU HAVEN’T YET DONE SO, YOU MIGHT CONSIDER:
1) Gathering with friends and parents and have a PRAYERWALK at your school. See my Post #10:
http://stan4youth.blogspot.com/2009/08/10-inviting-god-to-your-school.html
2) PRAYING FOR THE STUDENTS AND TEACHERS IN YOUR CLASSES. See my Post #12:
http://stan4youth.blogspot.com/2009/08/12-back-to-school-challenges.html
Then, during my semester of student-teaching in college, a student colleague began stuffing Four Spiritual Law tracts in my pocket every time he saw me. He would simply say, “You gotta read that” before dashing away. I remember going home and simply tossing the tracts in my desk drawer. Well, on my last day student- teaching, the guy pulls up to me on his motorcycle and says, “You’ve gotta come to the university this Friday night to hear my cousin give the message at a student meeting.” Well, that Friday night, I was driving to a high school football game when I suddenly found myself turning the wheel of the car and headed instead towards the university and ended up at the Christian student meeting. (Since I had no intention of going to that meeting, I’ve always believed that God somehow took control of that car and had me drive to that meeting. I have no other way to explain it.)
At that meeting, I enjoyed the music and the message was okay but it was all a bit over-the-top for me with my background. Fortunately, as I was enjoying refreshments afterwards, a student approached me and took the time to read through with me that same booklet that I had multiple copies of at home. When he asked me after a few minutes whether I would like to have Christ in my life or outside my life (the choice presented in the booklet), I saw my choice clearly and said, “Yes, I would like to have Him in my life.”
Lessons to Remember:
1)Unlike the guy who merely kept sticking tracts in my pocket, don’t just give a tract to someone. Do everything you can to sit down and go through it with him/her. Assure them at the start that it will take no more than 10 minutes and you’ll be likely to get an affirmative answer.
2)Of course, you should invite people to Christian outreach events. But as with the tracts (above), offer to personally escort the person you are inviting to the event. In that way, you are most likely to be sure the person attends the meeting BUT ALSO it assures that the person will not feel alone at the meeting and will have someone they can easily ask questions of afterwards.
3) Be sure not to rely on the person giving the message at the Christian event to have clearly communicated the gospel. Many people – such as myself – respond more often to someone PERSONALLY sharing the gospel with them than to a speaker’s invitation. Even if they do say they prayed with the speaker, going through the gospel personally with the individual will confirm that they truly understood what they prayed. (Too often, people who SAY they prayed to receive Christ do not truly understand what they have done.)
IN CASE YOU HAVEN’T YET DONE SO, YOU MIGHT CONSIDER:
1) Gathering with friends and parents and have a PRAYERWALK at your school. See my Post #10:
http://stan4youth.blogspot.com/2009/08/10-inviting-god-to-your-school.html
2) PRAYING FOR THE STUDENTS AND TEACHERS IN YOUR CLASSES. See my Post #12:
http://stan4youth.blogspot.com/2009/08/12-back-to-school-challenges.html
Friday, September 10, 2010
URGENT PRAYER REQUEST!
NOTE: I realize how scary it can be to share your faith with someone you know. But have you ever gone to prison for it?!! Well, I hope that the following prayer request will inspire you to consider the VERY HIGH COST students in other parts of the world are willing to pay to tell others about Jesus. Just think about the following prayer request the next time you hesitate to share the gospel with someone.
I've received the following URGENT prayer request from a friend in the high school ministry; I hope that you will take time to lift these students up for special prayer and let others know.
'Please ... be in prayer for 2 Ethiopian high school students who have been imprisoned for sharing their faith. Here is the update from our director: “Right after the life4All students conference, 44 students were divided in to the 3 towns namely Bahirdar, Debre Markos and Dejen for 20 days. The team that went to Dejen had to move to the next town called Bichena for they had saturated dejen just in 10 days. In the mean times, many of them have been [beaten] up and persecuted. Yet they pressed on and kept on sharing the good news. 2 of our students (boy and a girl) from the bichena town have been arrested as they were sharing their faith on the 25th of August. . . . We know that God is in control and everything will happen for good. So far, more than 3 people came to Christ in the jail.
* Pray for the students that God may encourage them and they may experience God’s presence.
* Pray for God’s protection in the prison.
* Pray that God would [interfere] and things will work out safe for them to come out of the jail.
* Pray for their family.
* Pray that God may use this time to mold the students for his eternal purpose and they will stand firm with their faith.” '
I've received the following URGENT prayer request from a friend in the high school ministry; I hope that you will take time to lift these students up for special prayer and let others know.
'Please ... be in prayer for 2 Ethiopian high school students who have been imprisoned for sharing their faith. Here is the update from our director: “Right after the life4All students conference, 44 students were divided in to the 3 towns namely Bahirdar, Debre Markos and Dejen for 20 days. The team that went to Dejen had to move to the next town called Bichena for they had saturated dejen just in 10 days. In the mean times, many of them have been [beaten] up and persecuted. Yet they pressed on and kept on sharing the good news. 2 of our students (boy and a girl) from the bichena town have been arrested as they were sharing their faith on the 25th of August. . . . We know that God is in control and everything will happen for good. So far, more than 3 people came to Christ in the jail.
* Pray for the students that God may encourage them and they may experience God’s presence.
* Pray for God’s protection in the prison.
* Pray that God would [interfere] and things will work out safe for them to come out of the jail.
* Pray for their family.
* Pray that God may use this time to mold the students for his eternal purpose and they will stand firm with their faith.” '
Thursday, September 2, 2010
#24 - Evangelism in My Experience I – The Vision Thing
(Please forgive me if you’ve heard this before.)
Dear Christian teen,
Less than 6 months after I had prayed to receive Christ, as I awaited graduating from college, I was challenged to consider entering into full-time Christian ministry. As a young Christian, I obviously had reason to hesitate and so I spent the summer after graduation helping with a summer project conducted by the ministry. Afterwards, I accepted the challenge of spending about 20 hours a week the following fall semester of school with the ministry staff – attending meetings with them and being introduced to their other responsibilities.
One day, one of the staff members, Craig Anderson, walked with me to the center of the campus to a spot just in front of one of the larger lecture halls. After a few minutes, the bell sounded and suddenly the campus was flooded with thousands of students exiting the lecture hall and other buildings. As we stood there taking in the sight, Craig suddenly pointed at the students exiting the building and said, “[Stan, no matter what those students learn in all the years they study here, no matter how many Phd’s they acquire, none of them will learn anything more eternally important that what you have to share with them when you tell them about the gospel of Jesus.]” (These were not his exact words but what I remember him saying.)
That turned out to be one of seminal moments of my life. It was never clearer to me until Craig said what he did just how powerful and important it was for anyone to hear the gospel. If someone had not shared with me one-on-one after I had “accidentally” attended a campus ministry outreach, I would probably have never heard the gospel presented again during my entire life. And I would have been destined for not just a lifetime but an eternity set apart from the God who loved and died for me. And it really didn’t matter how “good I was at it” nor how “confident” I felt doing it; if I was willing to step out and see God use me, I could see a life changed for eternity. Wow, how cool was that! And, after spending 33 of my adult years in full-time ministry, I can testify that there has NEVER been anything so thrilling as just sharing the gospel with someone – whether one on one or to a countless group of people. .
My challenge to you: Every time you walk in a hallway or walk between buildings at school during a class break or before or after school, just take a second to notice the throng of students rushing in every direction and remember that YOU have something that will change the life of every student who has yet to hear the gospel of Christ. By just taking twenty minutes of your time and either reading through a gospel tract with them or sharing your testimony with someone over lunch (in which you share about the need of everyone to receive Christ), you can change someone’s life ETERNALLY, something all the wealth, fame, or any other relationship they will experience can give them. Let that truth grip you and consider stepping out in faith and talking to someone you know sometime soon.
“…from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, … And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. WE are therefore AMBASSADORS, as though God were making his appeal THROUGH us….” [words capitalized mine for emphasis] (2 Corinthians 5: 18-20a)
I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR COMMENT BELOW. IT ALWAYS MEANS A LOT TO ME. THANKS!
[In the column to the left on this site, under "Links to Check Out," click on meant4more.com and on the title page look at the upper left and click on "Knowing God" for a copy of a tract called "The Four Spiritual Laws" that you can download, get familiar with, and use to share Christ with someone. You'll note that the site has some other helpful information as well.]
Dear Christian teen,
Less than 6 months after I had prayed to receive Christ, as I awaited graduating from college, I was challenged to consider entering into full-time Christian ministry. As a young Christian, I obviously had reason to hesitate and so I spent the summer after graduation helping with a summer project conducted by the ministry. Afterwards, I accepted the challenge of spending about 20 hours a week the following fall semester of school with the ministry staff – attending meetings with them and being introduced to their other responsibilities.
One day, one of the staff members, Craig Anderson, walked with me to the center of the campus to a spot just in front of one of the larger lecture halls. After a few minutes, the bell sounded and suddenly the campus was flooded with thousands of students exiting the lecture hall and other buildings. As we stood there taking in the sight, Craig suddenly pointed at the students exiting the building and said, “[Stan, no matter what those students learn in all the years they study here, no matter how many Phd’s they acquire, none of them will learn anything more eternally important that what you have to share with them when you tell them about the gospel of Jesus.]” (These were not his exact words but what I remember him saying.)
That turned out to be one of seminal moments of my life. It was never clearer to me until Craig said what he did just how powerful and important it was for anyone to hear the gospel. If someone had not shared with me one-on-one after I had “accidentally” attended a campus ministry outreach, I would probably have never heard the gospel presented again during my entire life. And I would have been destined for not just a lifetime but an eternity set apart from the God who loved and died for me. And it really didn’t matter how “good I was at it” nor how “confident” I felt doing it; if I was willing to step out and see God use me, I could see a life changed for eternity. Wow, how cool was that! And, after spending 33 of my adult years in full-time ministry, I can testify that there has NEVER been anything so thrilling as just sharing the gospel with someone – whether one on one or to a countless group of people. .
My challenge to you: Every time you walk in a hallway or walk between buildings at school during a class break or before or after school, just take a second to notice the throng of students rushing in every direction and remember that YOU have something that will change the life of every student who has yet to hear the gospel of Christ. By just taking twenty minutes of your time and either reading through a gospel tract with them or sharing your testimony with someone over lunch (in which you share about the need of everyone to receive Christ), you can change someone’s life ETERNALLY, something all the wealth, fame, or any other relationship they will experience can give them. Let that truth grip you and consider stepping out in faith and talking to someone you know sometime soon.
“…from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, … And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. WE are therefore AMBASSADORS, as though God were making his appeal THROUGH us….” [words capitalized mine for emphasis] (2 Corinthians 5: 18-20a)
I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR COMMENT BELOW. IT ALWAYS MEANS A LOT TO ME. THANKS!
[In the column to the left on this site, under "Links to Check Out," click on meant4more.com and on the title page look at the upper left and click on "Knowing God" for a copy of a tract called "The Four Spiritual Laws" that you can download, get familiar with, and use to share Christ with someone. You'll note that the site has some other helpful information as well.]
Thursday, May 13, 2010
#23 - A Challenge For You As You Look To the Summer
[P.S. – I want to challenge you to PLEASE, PLEASE, either watch or program to tape “The Coral Ridge Hour” (which is really only a half-hour long) THIS SUNDAY and NEXT SUNDAY, May 16th and May 23rd. (In Orlando, it’s televised 5-5:30 pm on non-cable channel 40.1) These upcoming broadcasts will present a documentary entitled “Socialism: A Clear and Present Danger.” If you want to get a handle of what is wrong in our country (and much of the world) from a Christian perspective, you will want to take the time to get informed. I know, I know, it sounds like something you’d have to watch for school, but trust me, it will be “educational” like nothing you’ll ever hear in school. I guarantee that it will be well worth an investment of a total of just one hour of your life. ]
As you await (or have already started) your summer break from school, I was wondering if YOU took up the challenge I made to you at the beginning of this school year in posting #12 last August. Did you MAKE time (seeing that you always had time) to pray for any students or teachers in any of your classes, whether you new them or not? If you did do so, did God allow you to see anything happen as a result? (He may have done something as a result of your prayers (and possibly those of others) but chosen not to reveal it to you.) If not, this is a good time to honestly ask yourself – “why not?” In either case, I would really appreciate it if you would email me as to what result you may have seen or your reasons for not following through. (yonashiro@bellsouth.net)
I’m especially curious to know what made you not accept my challenge, even in part. Did I ask you too much? Is there something I don’t know that kept you from doing anything I challenged you to do? Was my challenge in some way inappropriate or unreasonable? Is it possible that you just don’t believe that praying makes any real difference? If so, or whatever the reason, please email me.
As you can tell, I’m a big believer in the power of prayer and in God’s calling on each of you to impact others for His Kingdom. I once prayed through the entire “Remembrance Book” of a nearby middle school – that is by name for every student whose name (and usually picture) appeared in it – in seven different areas (spiritual, social, emotional, physical, academic, mental, and stewardship). Of course, I have never met the vast majority of them, but as I prayed for them to place their trust in Christ, I developed an awareness (from God, I believe) that when I stand in Heaven one day, I could have many of them walk up to me and say, “Hi! We’ve never met, but I’ve been told that you prayed for me while I was on earth. I want to thank you because you were the only one who ever prayed for me and it was your prayer that God responded to in opening my heart to His gospel when I finally heard it presented. In other words, through your “words,” I was able to have a relationship with the Father and now will spend an eternity with Him in this incredible beyond words place called Heaven. Your prayer really made an eternal difference in my life!” Just ONE person saying that to me when I get there is just one of the things I look forward to when I get THERE.
You know, just because you’re going to be away from school for several months, it doesn’t mean that you can’t use some of the time ahead to still pray for those you met or even just know of through this past year in school. And so, as their names and faces are still fresh in your mind, I’d like to challenge you to right now pull out a sheet of paper and begin writing down the names of students, faculty, administrators, custodial staff, and any others whom God brought into your life this past year that you have not prayed for. Then, take time during the months ahead to pray for each one, even if it is only one person every day. Also, for those whom you can contact – whether by phone, email, Facebook, Twitter, or whatever – why not make a point to keep in some kind of regular contact and, if they are not yet believers in Christ, ask God for wisdom as to how to transition from something you are talking about to inquiring about their where they are spiritually. Sometime soon, I’ll share with you one of my recent experiences with that.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
#22– Kids at Risk: Bullying in the New Millennium
By Charlene Israel, CBN (Christian Broadcasting Network) News Reporter, Wednesday, May 05, 2010
[No matter what your age, you or someone you know has been the victim of a bully. I was bullied when I first started middle school by a guy who regularly took my lunch money. I remember being too scared to tell anyone and fortunately the guy left the school after several months, though I’m not sure if it was because he was eventually caught. … Whatever YOUR experience with bullying – directly or indirectly, I believe that, especially as a Christian, you have a responsibility to stand up (with others) against those who do evil – whether at your school or wherever you encounter such persons in your life.]
Bullying is an age old problem. Today it has had new and deadly consequences.
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick recently signed anti-bullying legislation into law. "As governor and as a parent, I feel very strongly that no child should feel threatened or unsafe in our schools," Patrick said. "With this new law, we are giving our teachers, parents, and kids the tools and protections they need so that every student has a chance to reach their full potential." The move comes after two students in the state committed suicide after being relentlessly harassed.
Jaihlen's Story
Javarro Cherry of Virginia Beach, Va., wants to protect his 10-year-old son, Jaihlen, from bullies. To do that he meets his son at his bus stop every day after school. "I know that as long as someone's here, no one's going to bother him," Cherry told CBN News. Jaihlen is small for his age and has been the victim of relentless bullying by kids at his public school. "Sometimes they just come in your face and slap you," Jaihlen said, describing some of the bullying that he has experienced. The boy's parents say he is particularly afraid of one bully, and for good reason. "My son says that he (the bully) was trying to beat him up, that he said he was going to hurt him and make him bleed," Jaihlen's mother, Fredlena Cherry, said. Jaihlen, who is a fifth grader at Betty F. Williams Elementary School, said things got so bad that he was afraid to go to school. He also started having disturbing thoughts. "Something about killing myself, or running way or just hanging myself," he explained.
A Growing Problem
Unfortunately, Jaihlen's story is not unique. Bullying is making headlines around the country. It affects kids from elementary school to high school. Bullying is defined as negative behaviors intended to frighten or cause harm. It may include written threats or physical harm. The behavior is also described as teasing, harassing, or intimidation. In one high-profile case in Massachusetts, nine students were charged in the death of 15-year-old Phoebe Prince. Prince committed suicide after prosecutors say she was the victim of "unrelenting bullying" at her school. District Attorney Elizabeth Scheibel commented on the case at a recent press conference.
"The investigation revealed relentless activity directed toward Phoebe designed to humiliate her and make it impossible for her to remain at school," Scheibel said. "The bullying became intolerable." In another case, 13-year-old Jon Carmichael in Texas hanged himself after being bullied by classmates because he was small. There is also the story of a second grader who tried to kill himself by jumping over a school balcony after other kids repeatedly pulled down his pants and embarrassed him. Bullying has become so common that 41 states now have laws against it. Despite those laws, it is widespread and increasingly leads to deadly consequences.
Cyber Bullying
But not all bullying is so overt. Perpetrators of both sexes often work in groups where they use gossip, rumors, text messages, and harassing Internet posts to bully. Capt. Stephanie Bryn, director of the National Stop Bullying Now Campaign, said cyber bullying is on the rise. "It can be done more easily because it's autonomous, there's accessibility to the equipment, and cyber bullying can be done 24-7, all the time," she explained. Meanwhile, Jaihlen's parents have complained to both the bully's parents and to school officials."I would like to see the school have a better handle of how when there's a reportage of the student being a bully, there needs to be some level of discipline," Fredlena Cherry told CBN News. Dr. Linda Mintle, a psychologist who has studied the issue of bullying, said parents of bullies need to take responsibility for their child's behavior. "Parents need to stop making excuses for their kids behavior. I see a real crisis, parents want the schools to do something about bullying and then when the schools act, they get all upset and say you infringed on my rights and they threaten lawsuits," she explained.
Taking a Stand
Others have weighed in on the issue as well. Ron Luce, founder of Teen Mania Ministries, has encouraged Christian youth to take a stand against bullying. "I'm asking, 'Where are the Christians in those schools?,'" Luce said. "There are Bible clubs, youth groups in the area. It's time to rise up." Many schools across the country have anti-bullying initiatives, including Jaihlen's school. Unfortunately that has not stopped the bullying in his case. CBN News contacted Jaihlen's school for comment but administrators declined a request for an interview. Meanwhile, his family is frustrated and his parents are helping him cope the best way they can. "My dad started teaching me to fight," Jaihlen said. "Every time they try to put their hands on me, I grab their hand and I tell them don't put your hand on me."
[No matter what your age, you or someone you know has been the victim of a bully. I was bullied when I first started middle school by a guy who regularly took my lunch money. I remember being too scared to tell anyone and fortunately the guy left the school after several months, though I’m not sure if it was because he was eventually caught. … Whatever YOUR experience with bullying – directly or indirectly, I believe that, especially as a Christian, you have a responsibility to stand up (with others) against those who do evil – whether at your school or wherever you encounter such persons in your life.]
Bullying is an age old problem. Today it has had new and deadly consequences.
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick recently signed anti-bullying legislation into law. "As governor and as a parent, I feel very strongly that no child should feel threatened or unsafe in our schools," Patrick said. "With this new law, we are giving our teachers, parents, and kids the tools and protections they need so that every student has a chance to reach their full potential." The move comes after two students in the state committed suicide after being relentlessly harassed.
Jaihlen's Story
Javarro Cherry of Virginia Beach, Va., wants to protect his 10-year-old son, Jaihlen, from bullies. To do that he meets his son at his bus stop every day after school. "I know that as long as someone's here, no one's going to bother him," Cherry told CBN News. Jaihlen is small for his age and has been the victim of relentless bullying by kids at his public school. "Sometimes they just come in your face and slap you," Jaihlen said, describing some of the bullying that he has experienced. The boy's parents say he is particularly afraid of one bully, and for good reason. "My son says that he (the bully) was trying to beat him up, that he said he was going to hurt him and make him bleed," Jaihlen's mother, Fredlena Cherry, said. Jaihlen, who is a fifth grader at Betty F. Williams Elementary School, said things got so bad that he was afraid to go to school. He also started having disturbing thoughts. "Something about killing myself, or running way or just hanging myself," he explained.
A Growing Problem
Unfortunately, Jaihlen's story is not unique. Bullying is making headlines around the country. It affects kids from elementary school to high school. Bullying is defined as negative behaviors intended to frighten or cause harm. It may include written threats or physical harm. The behavior is also described as teasing, harassing, or intimidation. In one high-profile case in Massachusetts, nine students were charged in the death of 15-year-old Phoebe Prince. Prince committed suicide after prosecutors say she was the victim of "unrelenting bullying" at her school. District Attorney Elizabeth Scheibel commented on the case at a recent press conference.
"The investigation revealed relentless activity directed toward Phoebe designed to humiliate her and make it impossible for her to remain at school," Scheibel said. "The bullying became intolerable." In another case, 13-year-old Jon Carmichael in Texas hanged himself after being bullied by classmates because he was small. There is also the story of a second grader who tried to kill himself by jumping over a school balcony after other kids repeatedly pulled down his pants and embarrassed him. Bullying has become so common that 41 states now have laws against it. Despite those laws, it is widespread and increasingly leads to deadly consequences.
Cyber Bullying
But not all bullying is so overt. Perpetrators of both sexes often work in groups where they use gossip, rumors, text messages, and harassing Internet posts to bully. Capt. Stephanie Bryn, director of the National Stop Bullying Now Campaign, said cyber bullying is on the rise. "It can be done more easily because it's autonomous, there's accessibility to the equipment, and cyber bullying can be done 24-7, all the time," she explained. Meanwhile, Jaihlen's parents have complained to both the bully's parents and to school officials."I would like to see the school have a better handle of how when there's a reportage of the student being a bully, there needs to be some level of discipline," Fredlena Cherry told CBN News. Dr. Linda Mintle, a psychologist who has studied the issue of bullying, said parents of bullies need to take responsibility for their child's behavior. "Parents need to stop making excuses for their kids behavior. I see a real crisis, parents want the schools to do something about bullying and then when the schools act, they get all upset and say you infringed on my rights and they threaten lawsuits," she explained.
Taking a Stand
Others have weighed in on the issue as well. Ron Luce, founder of Teen Mania Ministries, has encouraged Christian youth to take a stand against bullying. "I'm asking, 'Where are the Christians in those schools?,'" Luce said. "There are Bible clubs, youth groups in the area. It's time to rise up." Many schools across the country have anti-bullying initiatives, including Jaihlen's school. Unfortunately that has not stopped the bullying in his case. CBN News contacted Jaihlen's school for comment but administrators declined a request for an interview. Meanwhile, his family is frustrated and his parents are helping him cope the best way they can. "My dad started teaching me to fight," Jaihlen said. "Every time they try to put their hands on me, I grab their hand and I tell them don't put your hand on me."
Friday, April 23, 2010
#21 - Day of Silence, Day of Truth Make Bid to Influence the Nation's Youth
by Kim Trobee, editor (Citizenlink.com)
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLtopstories/A000012435.cfm
'It's time for an honest conversation about the biblical truth for sexuality.'
One of the nation's largest gay-activist groups, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), is promoting its annual Day of Silence on Friday.
Daryl Presgraves, public relations manager for GLSEN, said the event encourages kids to take a vow of silence for the day to highlight what the group calls "safer" schools.
"What the Day of Silence does is it raises awareness about a pretty pervasive problem," he said. "Nearly nine out of 10 LGBT students tell us that they experience harassment at school."
But a closer look at the materials being distributed to educators and students shows there is more than an anti-bullying message being pushed.
For example, GLSEN's data sheet for kids called "How to Get What You Want—With an Ask!" encourages students to use the Day of Silence to get a "queer-friendly prom," as well as homosexual-themed books and teacher trainings in their schools.
Teachers are encouraged to discuss the Day of Silence with their students and observe five minutes of silence in the classroom as a show of solidarity.
Candi Cushman, education analyst for Focus on the Family, said the event turns kids into political lobbyists for GLSEN's adult-driven agenda.
"We agree that every student should be protected from bullying and harassment," she said, "and that no student should be hurt or ridiculed, no matter who they are or what they believe. But parents need to be aware that the Day of Silence unnecessarily politicizes and sexualizes the school environment, paving the way for classroom lessons that advocate and normalize things like same-sex marriage and cross-dressing."
One alternative would be to allow kids to participate in the Day of Truth on Thursday.
The Day of Truth is sponsored by Exodus International and promotes a respectful dialogue among students on the issue of homosexuality. This year's theme is "Get the Conversation Started." Students will be handing out cards between classes that read:
"People with differing, even opposing viewpoints, can freely exchange ideas and respectfully listen to each other. It's time for an honest conversation about the biblical truth for sexuality. Let's get the conversation started!"
Jeff Buchanan, senior director with Exodus, said it's no accident they named it the Day of Truth.
"We want to talk and have the conversations and it be laced with love and grace," he said, "but we cannot steer away from the firm foundation of the Truth when we do talk about biblical sexuality."
While students should engage in respectful discourse about gay issues, Buchanan cautions that some may encounter resistance at school. For that, Exodus has enlisted the Alliance Defense Fund to protect the legal rights of all students.
"They're being told one side of the message, and it can communicate that there are no other options," he said. "We really want students to be well-equipped, so that they can make educated choices."
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Learn more about countering gay activism in public schools: http://www.truetolerance.org/What%27stheDayofSilenceAbout.pdf
Learn more about the Day of Truth: http://dayoftruth.org/
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLtopstories/A000012435.cfm
'It's time for an honest conversation about the biblical truth for sexuality.'
One of the nation's largest gay-activist groups, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), is promoting its annual Day of Silence on Friday.
Daryl Presgraves, public relations manager for GLSEN, said the event encourages kids to take a vow of silence for the day to highlight what the group calls "safer" schools.
"What the Day of Silence does is it raises awareness about a pretty pervasive problem," he said. "Nearly nine out of 10 LGBT students tell us that they experience harassment at school."
But a closer look at the materials being distributed to educators and students shows there is more than an anti-bullying message being pushed.
For example, GLSEN's data sheet for kids called "How to Get What You Want—With an Ask!" encourages students to use the Day of Silence to get a "queer-friendly prom," as well as homosexual-themed books and teacher trainings in their schools.
Teachers are encouraged to discuss the Day of Silence with their students and observe five minutes of silence in the classroom as a show of solidarity.
Candi Cushman, education analyst for Focus on the Family, said the event turns kids into political lobbyists for GLSEN's adult-driven agenda.
"We agree that every student should be protected from bullying and harassment," she said, "and that no student should be hurt or ridiculed, no matter who they are or what they believe. But parents need to be aware that the Day of Silence unnecessarily politicizes and sexualizes the school environment, paving the way for classroom lessons that advocate and normalize things like same-sex marriage and cross-dressing."
One alternative would be to allow kids to participate in the Day of Truth on Thursday.
The Day of Truth is sponsored by Exodus International and promotes a respectful dialogue among students on the issue of homosexuality. This year's theme is "Get the Conversation Started." Students will be handing out cards between classes that read:
"People with differing, even opposing viewpoints, can freely exchange ideas and respectfully listen to each other. It's time for an honest conversation about the biblical truth for sexuality. Let's get the conversation started!"
Jeff Buchanan, senior director with Exodus, said it's no accident they named it the Day of Truth.
"We want to talk and have the conversations and it be laced with love and grace," he said, "but we cannot steer away from the firm foundation of the Truth when we do talk about biblical sexuality."
While students should engage in respectful discourse about gay issues, Buchanan cautions that some may encounter resistance at school. For that, Exodus has enlisted the Alliance Defense Fund to protect the legal rights of all students.
"They're being told one side of the message, and it can communicate that there are no other options," he said. "We really want students to be well-equipped, so that they can make educated choices."
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Learn more about countering gay activism in public schools: http://www.truetolerance.org/What%27stheDayofSilenceAbout.pdf
Learn more about the Day of Truth: http://dayoftruth.org/
Thursday, April 8, 2010
#20 - Do Christian Youth REALLY Know What They Believe?
The Millennial Generation – Chuck Colson, Breakpoint.com, April 6, 2010
Are young evangelicals today influenced more by the culture or the church? Find out the unsurprising answer.
The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life just released a survey called “Religion Among the Millennials.” It offers some good news and some bad news about young people ages 18 to 29. First, the bad news. According to Pew, these Millennials “are considerably less religious than older Americans.” Fewer belong to any particular faith than older people do. No surprise. But a real cause of concern is that young people today are “significantly more unaffiliated” than young people were 10 or 20 years ago. Millennials attend religious services less often than oldsters like me; they pray less, and are less likely to say that “religion is very important in their lives.”
And their worldviews are skewed. More than half of young adults—including evangelicals—believe that evolution is the best explanation for the development of human life. And they are far more likely than older people to say that homosexuality is a way of life that ought to be accepted by society rather than discouraged. The good news is that “more than three-quarters of young adults...agree that there are absolute standards of right and wrong,” including 85 percent of young evangelicals. That’s a dramatic improvement over earlier years. Sixty-four percent of young evangelicals agree that houses of worship should “express their views on day-to-day social and political questions.” Good—depending on the views. Finally, 88 percent of evangelicals believe the Bible is God’s word, and 86 percent believe in God with “absolute certainty.” Among Millennials in general, they believe in God “at rates similar to those seen among Gen Xers a decade ago.”
But let’s think about this. Young evangelicals believe in absolute right and wrong, they believe that God exists, and that the Bible is His word. Yet they’re less likely to go to church and pray than older people, and they’re more accepting of evolution and homosexuality. The basic beliefs of young evangelicals are sound, but they are not applying them in a consistent way. This is why I believe we, the Church, must do a much better job of catechizing our young people and helping them develop a biblical worldview. We’ve got to give them a framework for understanding how absolute truth and the Gospel interact with all of life. So if you are close to a young evangelical, why not engage him or her in a conversation about the Pew study? Discuss his or her beliefs, and how those beliefs stack up against biblical teachings.
You might consider also ordering our worldview video series for young people called ReWired. We produced it with Ron Luce of Teen Mania. I also recommend you introduce young people to Summit Ministries. Summit has excellent Christian worldview resources for young people. In addition, Summit’s summer conferences are outstanding. They give college students a two-week crash course in worldview analysis. They’ll learn how to sort out what Christianity actually teaches, as opposed to what they are absorbing from the culture. And they’ll learn about the major worldviews battling Christianity for their hearts and minds—worldviews like secular humanism, Marxism, postmodernism, and Islam.
Our young people believe in absolute truth, God, and His word. That’s good news. But it’s clear we have got a lot of work to do to help them apply what they believe to the way they live in the world. Let’s get busy.
Further Reading and Information
Religion Among the Millennials: Less Religiously Active but Fairly Traditional in Other Ways - Pew Research Center
Summit Ministries
Helping Students 'Get It': What Do They Need? - John Stonestreet | BreakPoint Online May 15, 2009
Why They Don't Get It: Helping Students Understand Worldview
John Stonestreet | BreakPoint Online | February 20, 2009
Are young evangelicals today influenced more by the culture or the church? Find out the unsurprising answer.
The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life just released a survey called “Religion Among the Millennials.” It offers some good news and some bad news about young people ages 18 to 29. First, the bad news. According to Pew, these Millennials “are considerably less religious than older Americans.” Fewer belong to any particular faith than older people do. No surprise. But a real cause of concern is that young people today are “significantly more unaffiliated” than young people were 10 or 20 years ago. Millennials attend religious services less often than oldsters like me; they pray less, and are less likely to say that “religion is very important in their lives.”
And their worldviews are skewed. More than half of young adults—including evangelicals—believe that evolution is the best explanation for the development of human life. And they are far more likely than older people to say that homosexuality is a way of life that ought to be accepted by society rather than discouraged. The good news is that “more than three-quarters of young adults...agree that there are absolute standards of right and wrong,” including 85 percent of young evangelicals. That’s a dramatic improvement over earlier years. Sixty-four percent of young evangelicals agree that houses of worship should “express their views on day-to-day social and political questions.” Good—depending on the views. Finally, 88 percent of evangelicals believe the Bible is God’s word, and 86 percent believe in God with “absolute certainty.” Among Millennials in general, they believe in God “at rates similar to those seen among Gen Xers a decade ago.”
But let’s think about this. Young evangelicals believe in absolute right and wrong, they believe that God exists, and that the Bible is His word. Yet they’re less likely to go to church and pray than older people, and they’re more accepting of evolution and homosexuality. The basic beliefs of young evangelicals are sound, but they are not applying them in a consistent way. This is why I believe we, the Church, must do a much better job of catechizing our young people and helping them develop a biblical worldview. We’ve got to give them a framework for understanding how absolute truth and the Gospel interact with all of life. So if you are close to a young evangelical, why not engage him or her in a conversation about the Pew study? Discuss his or her beliefs, and how those beliefs stack up against biblical teachings.
You might consider also ordering our worldview video series for young people called ReWired. We produced it with Ron Luce of Teen Mania. I also recommend you introduce young people to Summit Ministries. Summit has excellent Christian worldview resources for young people. In addition, Summit’s summer conferences are outstanding. They give college students a two-week crash course in worldview analysis. They’ll learn how to sort out what Christianity actually teaches, as opposed to what they are absorbing from the culture. And they’ll learn about the major worldviews battling Christianity for their hearts and minds—worldviews like secular humanism, Marxism, postmodernism, and Islam.
Our young people believe in absolute truth, God, and His word. That’s good news. But it’s clear we have got a lot of work to do to help them apply what they believe to the way they live in the world. Let’s get busy.
Further Reading and Information
Religion Among the Millennials: Less Religiously Active but Fairly Traditional in Other Ways - Pew Research Center
Summit Ministries
Helping Students 'Get It': What Do They Need? - John Stonestreet | BreakPoint Online May 15, 2009
Why They Don't Get It: Helping Students Understand Worldview
John Stonestreet | BreakPoint Online | February 20, 2009
Thursday, February 18, 2010
#19 - Why "Serving God" Is Not Just Full-Time Ministry
[When I first began serving in full-time ministry shortly after finishing college, I had the impression that full-time ministry was somehow the BEST way to serve God. I still believe college graduates should consider serving in full-time ministry as they approach graduation, ie. asking themselves: "Is God leading me somewhere I can serve in full-time ministry NOW before I began the career I had planned on in the secular world? Is there somewhere that I can serve God NOW in full-time ministry - at least for awhile - where I may not be able to later on in life?"
As the article below explains - and as I have shared in at least one previous blog- God has gifted each of us uniquely to not just "make a living," but to give our lives to living in this world FOR GOD. Whether one feels called to be a teacher, an accountant, a web designer, a business owner, or whatever, THAT work that brings us joy and brings GOD joy (because we are using our giftedness) is our "full-time Christian work." The mission fields of this world are not just in some far away country but whatever group of coworkers God places us in the midst of or whatever group of people we have some influence on. ---SMY]
Is Some Work More Sacred?By Mark Earley. Breakpoint Commentary, February 08, 2010
Work is sacred when it is dedicated to the glory of God. This applies whether it’s podiatrists, plumbers—or even preachers!
The story is told about an evangelical college that claimed to affirm the sacredness of all work. But did it really believe this teaching? Every spring the school held a special chapel service to lay hands on, and pray for, students who were going off on mission trips. But then a professor asked if the school could hold a similar service for students planning to start internships at big accounting firms. The school’s answer? An emphatic no.
My former colleague Jim Tonkowich tells this story in his online article, “Christians on the Job: Doing Well a Thing Well Worth Doing.” “Fine words aside,” Tonkowich writes, “the college believes that some vocations are much more sacred than others.” Sadly, many professors “enthusiastically [communicate] that fallacy to its unsuspecting students.” Christians outside the academy sometimes fall for the same fallacy as well. Too many business people “have cut short their careers just before breaking into senior management in order to ‘serve God full time,’” Tonkowich notes. Despite their talk about all work being sacred, their own decisions deny their words.
How do we get back a biblical view of work? We can start with an essay by Dorothy Sayers entitled “Why Work.” As Sayers writes, Christians “must get it firmly into their heads that when a man or woman is called to a particular job of secular work, that is as true a vocation as though he or she were called to a specific religious work.” One thinks of a good friend of Sayers, C.S. Lewis, whose “secular” work at Oxford included writing a series of children’s books that have for generations pointed children to Christ: The Chronicles of Narnia. Sayers believed that work “should be looked upon—not as a necessary drudgery...but as a way of life in which the nature of man should find its proper exercise and delight and so fulfill itself to the glory of God.”
This is why it is so important that Christian young people find out what their vocation is—whether it be law, medicine, ministry, or some other field—and do the work that God designed them to do. How do we figure that out? We should ask ourselves what we are good at, what we have a passion for, what God has gifted us in. In what kind of work do we find great spiritual, mental, and bodily satisfaction? That, Sayers says, is a good indication of the work we should seek out.
Finding the work that God intends us to do may protect us from one of the great temptations of our times: consumerism. Doing our work well, and finding great satisfaction in it, Tonkowich notes, will “keep us from the need to drown out our unhappiness in...[all] the assorted amusements our paycheck can purchase.”What a pity today we can’t invite Dorothy Sayers to speak at evangelical colleges about the truth that God calls us to all kinds of work—and that becoming, say, a podiatrist is just as sacred in God’s eyes as becoming a missionary. Doing the work that God gifted us for—whether it be government work, writing, or a plumber—does not make us second-class Christians, but people who are worshipping God with the abilities He gave them—and expects them to use.
Further Reading and Information
Christians on the Job: Doing Well a Thing Well Worth DoingJim Tonkowich | BreakPoint Online |
As the article below explains - and as I have shared in at least one previous blog- God has gifted each of us uniquely to not just "make a living," but to give our lives to living in this world FOR GOD. Whether one feels called to be a teacher, an accountant, a web designer, a business owner, or whatever, THAT work that brings us joy and brings GOD joy (because we are using our giftedness) is our "full-time Christian work." The mission fields of this world are not just in some far away country but whatever group of coworkers God places us in the midst of or whatever group of people we have some influence on. ---SMY]
Is Some Work More Sacred?By Mark Earley. Breakpoint Commentary, February 08, 2010
Work is sacred when it is dedicated to the glory of God. This applies whether it’s podiatrists, plumbers—or even preachers!
The story is told about an evangelical college that claimed to affirm the sacredness of all work. But did it really believe this teaching? Every spring the school held a special chapel service to lay hands on, and pray for, students who were going off on mission trips. But then a professor asked if the school could hold a similar service for students planning to start internships at big accounting firms. The school’s answer? An emphatic no.
My former colleague Jim Tonkowich tells this story in his online article, “Christians on the Job: Doing Well a Thing Well Worth Doing.” “Fine words aside,” Tonkowich writes, “the college believes that some vocations are much more sacred than others.” Sadly, many professors “enthusiastically [communicate] that fallacy to its unsuspecting students.” Christians outside the academy sometimes fall for the same fallacy as well. Too many business people “have cut short their careers just before breaking into senior management in order to ‘serve God full time,’” Tonkowich notes. Despite their talk about all work being sacred, their own decisions deny their words.
How do we get back a biblical view of work? We can start with an essay by Dorothy Sayers entitled “Why Work.” As Sayers writes, Christians “must get it firmly into their heads that when a man or woman is called to a particular job of secular work, that is as true a vocation as though he or she were called to a specific religious work.” One thinks of a good friend of Sayers, C.S. Lewis, whose “secular” work at Oxford included writing a series of children’s books that have for generations pointed children to Christ: The Chronicles of Narnia. Sayers believed that work “should be looked upon—not as a necessary drudgery...but as a way of life in which the nature of man should find its proper exercise and delight and so fulfill itself to the glory of God.”
This is why it is so important that Christian young people find out what their vocation is—whether it be law, medicine, ministry, or some other field—and do the work that God designed them to do. How do we figure that out? We should ask ourselves what we are good at, what we have a passion for, what God has gifted us in. In what kind of work do we find great spiritual, mental, and bodily satisfaction? That, Sayers says, is a good indication of the work we should seek out.
Finding the work that God intends us to do may protect us from one of the great temptations of our times: consumerism. Doing our work well, and finding great satisfaction in it, Tonkowich notes, will “keep us from the need to drown out our unhappiness in...[all] the assorted amusements our paycheck can purchase.”What a pity today we can’t invite Dorothy Sayers to speak at evangelical colleges about the truth that God calls us to all kinds of work—and that becoming, say, a podiatrist is just as sacred in God’s eyes as becoming a missionary. Doing the work that God gifted us for—whether it be government work, writing, or a plumber—does not make us second-class Christians, but people who are worshipping God with the abilities He gave them—and expects them to use.
Further Reading and Information
Christians on the Job: Doing Well a Thing Well Worth DoingJim Tonkowich | BreakPoint Online |
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