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Current Articles for May
Formspring.me – Ask Me Anything
Written by Wendy Morris, PCA US Asst. Principal
Have you updated your status on Facebook or tweeted today? Chances are those terms have not caught you by surprise as they are now a common part of our everyday surroundings. News channels tell you to link to their Facebook pages. Advertisers tell you to keep up with them on Twitter. It is becoming a family pastime to keep up even with the grandparents via Facebook pictures and statuses. Just when you think you are finally catching up on the latest technological craze, here comes a new one. Formspring.me is the newest social blog that our teenagers find fascinating.
Formspring.me is a free and anonymous social blog site. Here is how it works. A user will create a formspring.me account. It usually ends with the person’s name such as www.formspring.me/firstandlastname. Anyone can go to this page and find an empty box with the words “Ask me anything” printed above it. A person writes a question in the box and hits send. The owner of the formspring page is the only one that can read the question at this point. This is very important to understand, so let me repeat it. At this point, ONLY the owner of the formspring page can see the question that has been asked. However, once the owner decides to answer the question, the question and their answer is posted on the formspring page. The questioner is anonymous, but the one answering the question is known because it is on their page.
This all sounds harmless and fun, like a new way of playing 20 questions to learn about your friends or classmates. However, it quickly has turned into a way to ask those questions or make those statements any decent or respectable person would never make in person. Students can easily critique or harass one another hiding behind a wall of anonymity. The part that will amaze most adults is that the owners of the pages can choose to delete the belittling or humiliating questions. They don’t have to answer these ridiculous, insulting and even explicit questions – and then no one would ever see them. Unfortunately, this is rarely the case. Students usually feel that they “owe it” to the person asking the question to give an answer which then posts the question to their page for everyone to see. This demonstrates an incredible lack of wisdom on the part of those who give responses to inappropriate questions.
 Our students need to understand the biblical wisdom found in Proverbs 26:4, 5. What might appear to be a contradiction makes sense when understood and applied to Formspring. Proverbs 26:4 says, “Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you will be like him yourself.” Then the very next verse reads, “Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes.” The key to understanding these verses is discernment. If a fool posts a question to our Formspring account that needs to be addressed or the untruth of it will do harm to you or someone else, you are wise to address it and expose the error of the fool. However, if a fool posts a stupid or inappropriate question to your Formspring account, then by responding to it you’ve lowered yourself to their level – and you appear foolish yourself!
Of course, some parents may wish to simply ban their students from having a Formspring account and using the weblog at all. I think the greater teaching opportunity is to train our children how to use discernment on these sites. Why does your child is feel the need to answer every single question posted to him or her? This is definitely a conversation worthy of having with your child. Begin by asking if they have a formspring.me account. If so, you will definitely want to view it to see the types of questions he is answering. Talk with your student about the questions he is receiving. Begin asking how the anonymous questions make your student feel and how they determine what is and isn’t appropriate for a response. You may be surprised to learn that they are already making wise choices in the discernment of the questions.
The ultimate goal as a parent is to be informed, understand this new technological world of our teens, and to have open and honest communication with our children to help train them in biblical principles. Often our children don’t talk to us because they think we won’t understand. I am constantly reminding students that although adults didn’t have all this new technology growing up, we had to make the same discerning decisions as teenagers. For us, the anonymous blog was the anonymous note stuck in your locker or the anonymous rumor that spread by old-fashioned word-of-mouth! It is our job as parents to help train our students in all areas of their Christian growth. Technology is simply another venue to train our students to “walk in a manner worthy of their calling.”
If you have further questions on Formspring or other technology issues facing your students, please email me for Upper School students or your student’s principals – we are here to assist you and will look into issues that need to be addressed
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“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ,” Philippians 1:9-10
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IJM Dinner
When I think of the incredible work of the International Justice Mission (IJM), countless verses continue to run through my mind of why this work of rescuing the hopeless and helpless from insurmountable oppression is so vitally important today. I think immediately of Matthew 25:40 where Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” I am also reminded about the warning found in Luke 17:2 where Jesus said, “It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.” Strong words from Christ on the importance of protecting the weak and innocent – a work that IJM does everyday!
International Justice Mission is a human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. IJM lawyers, investigators and aftercare professionals work with local officials to ensure immediate victim rescue and aftercare, to prosecute perpetrators and to promote functioning public justice systems. IJM employs a four-part strategy including Victim Relief, Perpetrator Accountability, Victim Aftercare and Structural Transformation.
I was able to take two PCA students and another PCA parent to the IJM inaugural Dallas benefit dinner recently to hear from IJM founder and president Gary Haugen. The evening was a resounding success – over 730 people in attendance making it the largest inaugural benefit dinner for IJM. But more important than the money raised was the impact of the real-life stories of those freed from oppression and slavery.
If you’d like to learn more about IJM and their incredible work, I strongly suggest Haugen’s amazing book Good News about Injustice: A Witness of Courage in a Hurting World. There was also a recent Christianity Today article on Sex Trafficking right here in the United States! The article claims that recent research has placed the estimate at between 100,000 and 300,000 American children who are victims of sex trafficking, some as young as 9 years old being sold into prostitution by parents or boyfriends in exchange for illicit drugs. In the past couple years a new movement has begun to draw attention (and shame) to this problem. A group created a valuable website TheDefendersUSA.org to raise awareness and invite men to commit to not have any part in the commercialized sex industry.
Mackenzie Luce, Lauren Fugitt and Dan
Panetti attending the IJM Benefit Dinner |
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National Day of Prayer - Unconstitutional?
The first Thursday in May is set aside as our National Day of Prayer. First recognized as a national day of humiliation and prayer in 1952, President Ronal Reagan later set the date so that every year the National Day of Prayer (NDOP) can be recognized. Several presidents have recognized this day with a prayer breakfast – however President Clinton did not hold a formal event on this date during his terms in office and neither has President Obama in his first two years in office.
Recently the NDOP has come under significant attack in the courtroom. In October 2008 the Freedom From Religion Foundation sued several individuals and organizations connected with the NDOP challenging the federal law setting aside a day for prayer. The case was recently heard by US District Judge Barbara Crabb who ruled on April 15, 2010 that the NDOP was unconstitutional. Judge Crabb has stayed her ruling until the completion of the appeals process which is why the NDOP events were held this year, but are in jeopardy from this point forward unless her decision is reversed by a higher court. Be praying for the NDOP – our country needs a constant reminder to humble ourselves before the Lord, to turn from our wicked ways and seek His face!
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Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. Psalm 33:12
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Supreme Court nomination – first lesbian on the SCOTUS?
Elena Kag an finds herself in the middle of a firestorm since she was recently nominated by President Obama to be the 112th Supreme Court (SCOTUS) justice. Part of the controversy deals with her lack of experience – she would be the first justice not to have served as a judge since Justice Rehnquist. Another part of the controversy deals with her political ideology – she currently serves as President Obama’s Solicitor General – which is the chief legal advocate for the policies of the president’s administration. Some view her potential appointment to the bench as a proverbial rubber stamp for Obama’s policies. The way that our government was established is that each branch of government – executive, legislative, and judicial – in some ways acts as adversaries to each other and provide the much needed “checks and balances” to ensure that only those policies that are truly necessary and in the best interest of our nation are passed by Congress, signed by the President and held to be constitutional by the Court. Of course every president has sought to appoint justices with similar ideology and that is definitely one of the primary perks of the office. But SCOTUS justices rule from the bench long past the presidents who appointed them – they serve terms for life!
The other controversial angle surrounding the nomination of Kagan surrounds her unknown sexual preference. Single and unmarried, it was rumored early that Kagan was a lesbian. The White House quickly denounced the accusation, which brought a return fire from gay and lesbian advocates who felt slighted that her sexual preference might be viewed as a negative. Many speculate that a challenge to the current ban on same-sex marriage is imminent and Kagan’s vote on this issue, if she is appointed to the bench, could be immensely influential.
Continue to pray for the president and other elected officials that they would seek to do justice and walk humbly before God Almighty. The Senate will conduct hearings on the nomination soon, so continue to watch and pray as this matter moves forward.
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In God We Trust?
When I ask people if they’ve seen the new Presidential $1 Coin, most people respond that they have not. But most are surprised to learn that there is a dollar coin. What is even more surprising is something that isn’t very obvious unless you’re looking for it. The new dollar coin is different than other coins – different because absent from the front of the several of these presidential dollar coins is the official national motto of the United States: In God We  Trust. In addition, the unofficial motto of the US until In God We Trust was selected in 1956, E pluribus unum (one out of many), is also missing from many of these new coins. Missing, that is, until further inspection.
The Presidential $1 Coin is part of an Act of Congress enacted in 2005 directing the US Mint to produce $1 coins with portraits of the various US Presidents. If you were to take an closely examine one of the new Presidential $1 coins, you may very well find the familiar phrase, “In God We Trust” in a very unfamiliar location – on the edge of the coin! Yes, that’s correct. On some of these new coins, the national motto is printed in very, very, very small letters on the edge of the coin!
In addition, the US Mint recently announced that an unknown number of the George Washington Presidential $1 coins were released into circulation without their edge inscriptions at all! These coins have become known as the “Godless dollars” and many people believe they are not merely an aberration, but a sign of the times of future things to come as our nation not only moves God to the proverbial edge of our society, but seeks to eliminate Him altogether from public reference!
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 Blood Money Film - the truth about Planned Parenthood
In January, former abortion industry owner Carol Everett shared with the PCA Upper School students at chapel the truth about the abortion industry. That truth is now being released on the big screen in a movie by the same title as Carol’s outstanding book on the subject – Blood Money. The movie is scheduled for a NYC release in the month of May and will hopefully make the Dallas market – so be on the lookout for this movie. It most likely will not be a film for a younger audience since it shows the awful truth of the abortion industry, but it will be a movie you want to support with your money to let Hollywood know that the message was received loud and clear! To watch a trailer of the movie and learn more about it, visit the website BloodMoneyFilm.
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Hookah Hype - talk with your kids about it
A recent MSNBC.com article announced that 1 in 4 young adults has used a hookah. As a parent, you may be wondering if your young adult is that 1 in 4 – and you may be wondering exactly what is a “hookah”?  According to the article and some additional research, the hookah craze is spreading like wild fire. The hookah, simply put, is a new way to smoke tobacco. A bowl is filled with tobacco and individuals use a water pipe to suck in the smoke. Many believe that hookah smoking is much safer than traditional cigarette smoking, but according to research now out that just isn’t true. In fact, hookah smokers may actually get exposed to more smoke and carbon monoxide and similar levels of nicotine as cigarettes.
Make sure you have a conversation with your students about hookah smoking. The Apostle Paul addresses how Christians ought to think about engaging in worldly affairs as he wrote to the church in Corinth. This would be a great study for you and your students to go through and ask questions about things like smoking and alcohol use. You can begin with 1 Corinthians 6:19 where Paul reminds his brothers and sisters in Christ that they are not their own, but rather bought with a price and even their bodies are not their own, but Christ’s. Then you can remind them that Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 10:23, 24 that everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial; which means that even though we have the “right” to do something, that in and of itself is not license to act. We must take into consideration the good of others as well the biblical concepts that deal with building up the body and walking in a manner worthy of our calling. Discernment is necessary for the believer as they seek to navigate the lures of this world.
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Summer Reading List for Upcoming Parent Book Discussions 2010-11
As we look forward to some parent book discussions for next year, here are some suggested books to read over the summer which may be books that we select for our book discussions.
 Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God
by pastor Francis Chan. Outstanding book that encourages Christians to humbly walk with the Lord in a profound way seeking to truly be transformed by His presence as well as being a transforming presence in this world!
Understanding Intelligent Design
by William Dembski and Sean McDowell. Southwestern professor Bill Dembski is scheduled to participate in a debate here at PCA on Thursday, November 18th on the issue of Intelligent Design/Creation vs. Evolution. To prepare for this important conversation with your students, this book would be an excellent tool to have read in advance of our Biblical Worldview Institute.
Your Boy: Raising a Godly Son in an Ungodly World
by J.C. Ryle Boys will be boys – you’ve heard the phrase before and it’s true. Boys will be boys unless you train them to be men. Two outstanding books for parents to help train young men are Your Boy and Thoughts for Young Men. Although the authors are separated by a couple hundred years and come from two very different cultures, the biblical truths found in each are applicable and relevant for today!
Your Girl: Raising a Godly Daughter in an Ungodly World by Vicki Courtney
5 Conversations You Must Have with Your Daughter by Vicki Courtney
 She Calls Me Daddy by Robert Wolgemuth
Raising young women is a joy and a privilege; but in today’s culture,it’s also quite a challenge to counter all the negative messages targeting our daughters. Here are some great books to read to encourage and equip you for the job of raising godly girls who can not only survive in this culture, but also thrive  because of a growing and dynamic faith in Christ.
Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas.
Looking for a great read about the life of a great man – this is it! The first biography by author Eric Metaxas was Amazing Grace about the life and ministry of William Wilberforce whose life work was the abolition of slavery from the English empire. Metaxas has followed that amazing book with this epic tome on the life of the great German pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer – probably best known today for his incredible book The Cost of Discipleship. Bonhoeffer was also part of an assassination plot against Adolf Hitler which led to his arrest and eventual execution three weeks before the liberation of Germany by Allied forces!
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Dan Panetti
Worldview Director
Prestonwood Christian Academy
dpanetti@prestonwoodchristian.org
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