culture wars: raising daughters

In The Words of columnist Rebecca Hagelin of the Heritage Foundation:

“There is a pattern here and it will not change as long as we don’t recognize that our little girls are being used. The mass marketers of Hollywood hype know that today’s youth spend some 200 billion dollars a year of their own money on trinkets, music and all the accessories that go with it. They also know that pre-teen girls are easily manipulated and that more than anything else, want to be popular as they grow into young adults. So, they discover cute, talented young girls, make them superstars by playing on your daughter’s dreams of glitz, and morph the ‘wholesome’ starlets into trampy sex stars as they grow older, hoping to take the dollars of your girls with them. … History repeats itself. You know what happened to teen idol Britney Spears. America’s little girls and their moms swooned and spent millions on Britney fashions. However, just as the Britney wannabes reached critical mass, the star’s light started to short circuit. Her sexy ways quickly turned into bizarre behavior, drug problems and a raunchy attitude. Not to worry, High School Musical’s Vanessa Hudgens was there to take her place. But just as Vanessa hit her zenith in the eyes of our little girls, nude photos and other sexual revelations about her captured the headlines. Down came Vanessa and up went the posters of the twinkling, sparkly Miley Cyrus. Now Miley has made the transition to tramp too. And millions of preteen girls have, once again, been manipulated into believing that being trampy is not only normal, but is the only way to succeed. It’s time for moms to wake up and protect our little girls from being used.  Read More

HT: Samuel at Gilgal

 

‘Twilight’ A Spiritually Confused Reminder for Parents

by Ted Baehr (and Lighthouse Trails Research)

“When you buy tickets to spiritually confused and biblically illiterate witchcraft and vampire movies, or nasty sex comedies, you are NOT drawing closer to God. You are pulling away. You do damage to the most important relationship in your life.”

This past weekend, over 12 million people voted with their entertainment dollars to see “The Twilight Saga: New Moon.” Several million were no doubt church-going teenagers and young adults.”

“New Moon” is a spiritually confused, dangerous work.

On the one hand, it metaphorically asks the question, “How can I overcome my sinful nature and save my soul?” Thus, the “good” vampires in the movie are constantly trying to overcome their lust for human blood, often succeeding but sometimes failing. On the other hand, the movie’s heroine decides she wants to risk the possibility of losing her soul by becoming a vampire so that she can be with the vampire she loves.

Jesus Christ is very clear about the real spiritual dangers in this second message when He asks His disciples in Mark 8:36, “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?”   Read the rest of the article

 

10 simple things to treasure about winter

1. no school! (although we home school, I remember from my childhood the excitement of a ’snow day’)

2.  snow falling

3.  hot chocolate after sledding

4.  the smell of bag balm on children’s cheeks

5.  icecicles hanging off the roof

6.  the light through the windows reflecting the snow

7.  the sound of snow plows during the night

8.  snuggled in a chair watching a movie

9.  surrounded and ‘tucked in’ by clean, white, snow.

10.  soup and fresh bread.

What are some of your favorite things to treasure in winter?

 

a walk down memory lane

Before ‘Enhanced’, HD, and Blue Ray — my goodness before Videos & DVDS . . .

Do you remember waiting with expectation and excitement for the Christmas Specials? 

So much is lost with the “I want it so I will buy it” mentality. Yes, we own Rudolph and Frosty along with several other ‘classics’. When we want to watch them we just insert disc, push a botton and voila — It is Christmas. It saddens me that our children missed the waiting, the begging to eat dinner in the living room in front of the TV, the pleading to stay up a little later to watch a Christmas Special. 

These clips warmed my heart and I hope they remind you of a simpler time . . .

 

the simple woman’s daybook * December 7 *

The Simple Woman’s Daybook

 December 7, 2009

~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

outside my window
seasonable temperatures * complete darkness * a couple of storm windows to place *
*****

 i am remembering . . .
shopping * afternoon with college daughter * rearranging & organizing * wreaths for the windows *
a wonderful sermon on Sunday
*****
i am thankful  . . .
the ways our family has grown and adjusted to me working outside the home * a college student who will be hanging out with our son for the next 4 weeks * the cup of tea my husband had ready for me returning from an afternoon of shopping
*****

from the kitchen . . .
homemade lemonade * remnants of chili * homemade (copycat recipe) cliff bars!
*****

I am thinking . . .
baking plans * homemade gifts * resurrecting some needlework
*****

from my desk . . .
butter toffee coffee * Christmas CDs * coupons to clip * lip glass * weekly planner

around the learning rooms . . .
sketchings * piano books * Liberty Kids videos
*****

I am reading . . .
favorite Christmas cookbooks * The Lamplighter
*****

my favorite things . . .
a busy bird feeder * a cleaned up kitchen * my bed made * Christmas music * slippers * our dog snuggled next to me
*****

a few plans for the rest of the week . . .
hanging wreaths * pine boughs by the door * rearranging office furniture *
*****

a verse of Scripture . . .
“The heavens are telling of the glory of God;
And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
Day to day pours forth speech,
And night to night reveals knowledge.

There is no speech, nor are there words;
Their voice is not heard.

Psalm 19: 1-3 ”Christianity calls people out of darkness not into darkness.”
Ron Moore, our Pastor
***** 

Here is a picture thought I am sharing . . .