Volume 1 issue 1 - 11-16-08
This blog "Media that impacts" is a blog written by Pastor Justin Klatt the pastor of NorthShore Student Ministries. if you are getting this blog in your e-mail box it is because your teen comes to NorthShore services or has in the past and we want to help keep you aware of the good and questionable media that your teens read, watch or listen to (In books, movies, music and on the internet). I want to do this so that you can be aware of what your teens and their friends think is "Cool" so that you can read, watch or listen to some of it yourself and then have open communication with them about the good and the questionable. I want to see your students succeed in life and with their relationshiop with God, and some things our teens watch and read and listen to can prohibit the uplifting God wants to do in your teen. Please do not read this blog and think that I an telling you how to parent, I simply want you to have more awareness so that more communication can happen between you and your teen. Please contact me if you ever have questions or comments on the material in this blog. I would like to have parents input on these topics to create communication between parents as well. You can comment on this blog and read other parents comments at http://www.mediathatimpacts.blogspot.com/ You can and should also always take some time to research further for your own sake, you do not just have to take only what I say.
This blog "Media that impacts" is a blog written by Pastor Justin Klatt the pastor of NorthShore Student Ministries. if you are getting this blog in your e-mail box it is because your teen comes to NorthShore services or has in the past and we want to help keep you aware of the good and questionable media that your teens read, watch or listen to (In books, movies, music and on the internet). I want to do this so that you can be aware of what your teens and their friends think is "Cool" so that you can read, watch or listen to some of it yourself and then have open communication with them about the good and the questionable. I want to see your students succeed in life and with their relationshiop with God, and some things our teens watch and read and listen to can prohibit the uplifting God wants to do in your teen. Please do not read this blog and think that I an telling you how to parent, I simply want you to have more awareness so that more communication can happen between you and your teen. Please contact me if you ever have questions or comments on the material in this blog. I would like to have parents input on these topics to create communication between parents as well. You can comment on this blog and read other parents comments at http://www.mediathatimpacts.blogspot.com/ You can and should also always take some time to research further for your own sake, you do not just have to take only what I say.
God bless you in your journey in raising your students to serve our God.
The Twilight Series
Most of you have probably heard of this series of book (Especially if you have teenage girls), This book series is a love story between a vampire guy and a human girl and is being made into a movie. the movie actually comes out this next friday. My encouragement to you parents is to find out from your teens if they have read any of the books and talk to them about it. Communication is key if we want our teens to trust and respect us, I am not saying that this movie and the books are bad I am just saying that you as parents might find parts of the books and movies as questionable for your teens to see and read. I want to suggest reading the two articles I have pasted below and talking about it with your teens. The first article is about the right and wrong of this series and the second is actually ways your teen can share their faith with their friends using the twilight series.
Thank you for your time, please research this movie and books before you let your teens read or watch them, maybe even watch and read them together to spark communication. Thank you for your time.
The Twilight Series
Most of you have probably heard of this series of book (Especially if you have teenage girls), This book series is a love story between a vampire guy and a human girl and is being made into a movie. the movie actually comes out this next friday. My encouragement to you parents is to find out from your teens if they have read any of the books and talk to them about it. Communication is key if we want our teens to trust and respect us, I am not saying that this movie and the books are bad I am just saying that you as parents might find parts of the books and movies as questionable for your teens to see and read. I want to suggest reading the two articles I have pasted below and talking about it with your teens. The first article is about the right and wrong of this series and the second is actually ways your teen can share their faith with their friends using the twilight series.
Thank you for your time, please research this movie and books before you let your teens read or watch them, maybe even watch and read them together to spark communication. Thank you for your time.
Written by: Lane Palmer
Position: Youth Ministry Specialist
Posted: 09-01-2008
Answers the question: What is truth, and can I know it with certainty?
It started when I noticed that a ton of flair on Facebook started to show up with the word 'Twilight'. And not only 'Twilight' - but others like 'I heart Twilight' - and 'I want to be Cullen when I grow up'.
So where have I been since 2005? Apparently missing a highly popular and extremely anticipated movie based on the Twilight novel. Essentially a forbidden romance story with supernatural twists and turns as good vs. evil takes the vampire stage.
If you check out the cover of the book, you'll see two hands that are cupped and holding an apple. So why that image and not vampires? Well according to Wikipedia, Stephenie Meyer used an apple to exemplify the forbidden fruit as referenced in Genesis 2:17. The fruit represents Edward and Bella's forbidden love just as the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden was forbidden to Adam and Eve. Meyer also states that the apple represents choice.
In case you're wondering, Genesis 2:17 reads this way:
...but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.
These are the words from God - giving a command and a warning. The command is not to eat the fruit produced by the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The warning is that if Adam and Eve (the first humans on earth) did, they would die.
In other words, just like today, there are choices and consequences. Each and every day we wake up and choose life or death in the little and big things we think, do, and say.
So why would anyone choose death? Well, let's check out why Adam and Eve made that choice and brought death and destruction to the entire planet:
The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the L ord God had made. One day he asked the woman, "Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?"
"Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden," the woman replied. "It's only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, 'You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.'"
"You won't die!" the serpent replied to the woman. "God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil."
The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. (Genesis 3:1-6).
Incredible, isn't it? God gave Adam and Eve complete freedom with only one responsibility - don't eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And what is even more amazing is that they already knew what was good. The only thing they had to gain by disobeying God was...
Evil
So again - why did they choose that? Easy - same reason we choose evil and death as well. Satan tempted Eve by telling a lie combined with a half-truth:
"You won't die!" the serpent replied to the woman. "God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil."
First - the lie: You won't die.
Second - the half-truth: You will be like God.
That one -two punch convinced Eve - and what previously looked evil now looked 'delicious' - and she bought the lie that knowing evil would be a good thing.
Sound familiar? You know what I'm talking about:
First - the lie: Sin won't cost you a thing.
Second - the half-truth: A sinful lifestyle has certain pleasures you aren't currently experiencing.
Of course, what Satan leaves out of that truth is that with every ounce of pleasure is a pound of pain when you reap the consequences of a guilty heart and a broken world.
Next time your heart tells you to pursue forbidden choices with deadly consequences - listen to this truth instead:
The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure . (1 Corinthians 10:13)
You always have a choice - no matter how delicious sin looks or how convinced you are that God is somehow keeping you from what life has to offer.
Life apart from following Christ offers only death - and God has only forbidden the things that will ultimately destroy you.
Compared to vampires, sin is infinitely more powerful and deadly...but you have a choice.
For your sake, please choose wisely!
Head: What you need to know about this truth
Sin is a powerful and destructive force that we can choose to resist.
Heart: What you need to feel about this truth
Think through what damage sin has already done to your life, and how much pain and scarring it has left on your soul. Remembering these things is a great way to resist temptation in the future
Hands: What you need to do about this truth
Jot down the areas/circumstances that drag you into sin most often, and then develop a plan of resistance that keep you from repeating the wrong choices
Questions you can ask your teens to bring communication and understanding into your house.
1) Were you ever into scary stories or movies? Why or why not?
2) Do you think vampires exist? Why or why not?
3) How does Satan tempt us the same way he tempted Adam and Eve?
4) If we know what's coming, why do we still give in?
5) What are some 'ways out' of temptation that you've experienced?
6) How can we specifically apply this truth to our lives?
Position: Training Coordinator
Posted: 09-01-2008
Have you or your friends picked up the hefty new novel of The Twilight Series - Breaking Dawn? The series, with sales topping 8 million books, has blazed its own unique trail through the teen world in the eclectic genre of Horror/Thriller/Romance and Sci-Fi. The mysterious thriller that launched the popular series, reads like a young adult love story. The plot line unfolded as a result of author Stephanie Meyer's vivid dream. In six months time, she wrote, edited and published her first novel ever - Twilight - and has intrigued readers worldwide, ever since.
The new girl at school, 17 year-old Isabella ("Bella" for short), finds herself powerfully attracted to an intriguingly gorgeous boy at her new school. The boy's name is Edward and he can't help but be dangerously drawn to the sweet, innocent blood running through Bella because...he is a vampire. Edward and Bella soon find themselves falling madly in love with each other, despite the obvious barriers. Fortunately for Bella, Edward is part of a reformed group of vampires who has sworn off of human blood and only drinks animal blood, instead. Even so, Edward has to exercise extreme self-control when in the presence of Bella, because he is not only attracted to her romantically, but also lustfully desires a taste of her pure, innocent blood.
This unusual romance saga is pumped full of the push and pull of a desire for true love and the sexual tension that fuels the romance. And in that respect there are some striking similarities to the real world teens find themselves confronted with every day, surrounded by a culture that is saturated with sexual connotations, innuendos, and a warped view of human sexuality, yet longing for true love and respect. The temptation to view others as sexual 'objects' is everywhere: as you are waiting in line at the checkout line, you have magazines adorned with barely-clothed woman and men; driving down the street, massive billboard hang above your head advertising something by way of sexual implication; in movies we watch as characters fulfill their lustful desires in a sexual experience; in songs, we listen to the lustful lyrics and then repeat them as we go through our day; you can't even walk down the hall at school without having to dodge the flying hormones as they whiz by. Let's face it. We live in a sex-saturated culture. And still we long for true love deep down inside.
So as Christians, how do we handle the push and pull of sex that permeates our own lives, and our social networks? Well, here's what God has to say on His blueprint for sexuality.
And that means killing off everything connected with that way of death: sexual promiscuity, impurity, lust, doing whatever you feel like whenever you feel like it, and grabbing whatever attracts your fancy. That's a life shaped by things and feelings instead of by God. (Colossians 3:5).
You know the guidelines we laid out for you from the Master Jesus. God wants you to live a pure life. Keep yourselves from sexual promiscuity. Learn to appreciate and give dignity to your body, not abusing it, as is so common among those who know nothing of God. Don't run roughshod over the concerns of your brothers and sisters. Their concerns are God's concerns, and he will take care of them. We've warned you about this before. God hasn't invited us into a disorderly, unkempt life but into something holy and beautiful--as beautiful on the inside as the outside. (1 Thess. 4:2-7).
Every human, Christians and non-Christians alike, have struggled with lust in one form or another. But as God's Word says, sexual lust destroys both our relationships and our self-esteem. Lust only devalues the person and objectifies them. Each of us has been created in His image and deserves to be treated in a respectful and honoring way. We need to ask the Holy Spirit to come along side us and be our strength in time of our weakness. We need His help in fleeing lustful temptations (2 Timothy 2:2).
While we may not fall for a vampire, we can likely identify with Edward and Bella's struggle with how to handle the desire for true love and the sexual tension in their relationship. So use the popular Twilight series as a springboard in conversation with your friends to talk about God's plan for our lives! Here are some questions to help you get started:
If your friends have read Twilight, ask them who in the books they think show true love. How? Why?
Ask your friends how they would define lust. Listen, and then share what God's perspective of lust is.
If it seems appropriate, consider asking your friends how they deal with sexual temptation (lust, pornography, premarital sex, masturbation).
Explain how our Heavenly Father wants to protect us from later harm by giving us His blue print for sexuality.
Share how Jesus came to this earth and died and then rose again so we can have His strength and power here on earth to overcome the struggles of this world.
Real and lasting self-control can only come from the Holy Spirit's divine guidance. So, step out with His power and share with your friends how they too can step into God's loving direction for dealing with the challenges of this dimension of life.
Thank you for your time, please research this movie and books before you let your teens read or watch them, maybe ever watch and read them together for communication sake. thank you for your time.
Have you or your friends picked up the hefty new novel of The Twilight Series - Breaking Dawn? The series, with sales topping 8 million books, has blazed its own unique trail through the teen world in the eclectic genre of Horror/Thriller/Romance and Sci-Fi. The mysterious thriller that launched the popular series, reads like a young adult love story. The plot line unfolded as a result of author Stephanie Meyer's vivid dream. In six months time, she wrote, edited and published her first novel ever - Twilight - and has intrigued readers worldwide, ever since.
The new girl at school, 17 year-old Isabella ("Bella" for short), finds herself powerfully attracted to an intriguingly gorgeous boy at her new school. The boy's name is Edward and he can't help but be dangerously drawn to the sweet, innocent blood running through Bella because...he is a vampire. Edward and Bella soon find themselves falling madly in love with each other, despite the obvious barriers. Fortunately for Bella, Edward is part of a reformed group of vampires who has sworn off of human blood and only drinks animal blood, instead. Even so, Edward has to exercise extreme self-control when in the presence of Bella, because he is not only attracted to her romantically, but also lustfully desires a taste of her pure, innocent blood.
This unusual romance saga is pumped full of the push and pull of a desire for true love and the sexual tension that fuels the romance. And in that respect there are some striking similarities to the real world teens find themselves confronted with every day, surrounded by a culture that is saturated with sexual connotations, innuendos, and a warped view of human sexuality, yet longing for true love and respect. The temptation to view others as sexual 'objects' is everywhere: as you are waiting in line at the checkout line, you have magazines adorned with barely-clothed woman and men; driving down the street, massive billboard hang above your head advertising something by way of sexual implication; in movies we watch as characters fulfill their lustful desires in a sexual experience; in songs, we listen to the lustful lyrics and then repeat them as we go through our day; you can't even walk down the hall at school without having to dodge the flying hormones as they whiz by. Let's face it. We live in a sex-saturated culture. And still we long for true love deep down inside.
So as Christians, how do we handle the push and pull of sex that permeates our own lives, and our social networks? Well, here's what God has to say on His blueprint for sexuality.
And that means killing off everything connected with that way of death: sexual promiscuity, impurity, lust, doing whatever you feel like whenever you feel like it, and grabbing whatever attracts your fancy. That's a life shaped by things and feelings instead of by God. (Colossians 3:5).
You know the guidelines we laid out for you from the Master Jesus. God wants you to live a pure life. Keep yourselves from sexual promiscuity. Learn to appreciate and give dignity to your body, not abusing it, as is so common among those who know nothing of God. Don't run roughshod over the concerns of your brothers and sisters. Their concerns are God's concerns, and he will take care of them. We've warned you about this before. God hasn't invited us into a disorderly, unkempt life but into something holy and beautiful--as beautiful on the inside as the outside. (1 Thess. 4:2-7).
Every human, Christians and non-Christians alike, have struggled with lust in one form or another. But as God's Word says, sexual lust destroys both our relationships and our self-esteem. Lust only devalues the person and objectifies them. Each of us has been created in His image and deserves to be treated in a respectful and honoring way. We need to ask the Holy Spirit to come along side us and be our strength in time of our weakness. We need His help in fleeing lustful temptations (2 Timothy 2:2).
While we may not fall for a vampire, we can likely identify with Edward and Bella's struggle with how to handle the desire for true love and the sexual tension in their relationship. So use the popular Twilight series as a springboard in conversation with your friends to talk about God's plan for our lives! Here are some questions to help you get started:
If your friends have read Twilight, ask them who in the books they think show true love. How? Why?
Ask your friends how they would define lust. Listen, and then share what God's perspective of lust is.
If it seems appropriate, consider asking your friends how they deal with sexual temptation (lust, pornography, premarital sex, masturbation).
Explain how our Heavenly Father wants to protect us from later harm by giving us His blue print for sexuality.
Share how Jesus came to this earth and died and then rose again so we can have His strength and power here on earth to overcome the struggles of this world.
Real and lasting self-control can only come from the Holy Spirit's divine guidance. So, step out with His power and share with your friends how they too can step into God's loving direction for dealing with the challenges of this dimension of life.
Thank you for your time, please research this movie and books before you let your teens read or watch them, maybe ever watch and read them together for communication sake. thank you for your time.
Pastor Justin Klatt
