a warning?

I feel moved to write about this, and I know it will cause some to say I'm over- reacting, or I'm too sensitive.  The truth is this, though:  I'm not over-reacting, and I'm not too sensitive about this.  And no one else wants to talk about it...

I'm sure many people have read The Hunger Games trilogy.  I have, and I thought it was both horrible and fantastic at the same time.  I couldn't put the books down.  I was fascinated with the characters, but even more so with their situations.  And for all the horror of that story, many just would say it's just a book... for kids... it is pretend and not real.

But, I think it is.

Of course, we are not offering up our children as tributes in a fight to the death for entertainment.  Praise God.  But we are very slowly and very surely moving toward the "anything goes" motto for entertainment.  Reality TV and the sensationalism of death, murder, sex, cheating, gambling, drug use, etc... is affecting our culture, and most decidedly our children and spouses.  Video games are so real and life-like that the violence portrayed in them isn't met with any kind of horror or remorse- it's just fun and exciting.  The news is full of stories about cheating celebrities, death by drugs, gang warfare, and mothers killing their children, and then themselves...

Do you see the connection?  The Hunger Games is like a warning... or maybe a wake up call... because these things are happening now.  And they aren't just happening in obscure third world countries (which is actually more heartbreaking, because in those places children really are dying for entertainment), it's happening here, in our country... the greatest country ever!

What really made me think of this is actually a more personal issue... and the issue is much, much larger than I ever expected, actually.  It's the issue of sexual purity.  It isn't just something we should be teaching our children about.  Sexual purity is a very large, very challenging issue for grown-ups, too. 

Think about this: can you go through a check- out line without seeing beautiful girls in bikinis, or go to the mall without passing a jumbo sized poster of a Victoria's Secret model wearing almost nothing?  How about driving down the interstate and seeing advertisements for adult movie stores, or "gentlemen clubs"?  Further more, do you think our children don't notice?  How about your husband? or your father? or your uncle? or your brother?

There is nothing good that comes from viewing pornography, or any kind of images that may interfere with your promises (be it marriage, a commitment to any other person, or a commitment to raise your children in the faith).  It leads to addiction.  It breaks marriages and relationships and families.  It poisons minds.  It absolutely is NOT what God intended for us.  It leads broken hearts astray...

http://vimeo.com/7474108

I'm praying for our families, people.  I'm praying for our men, and women, and children.  Guard your heart and your eyes and your minds... and be ever vigilant!

Phillipians 4:8
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.