Students and iPhones
One-third of U.S. high school students own iPhones.
Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster today issued a report on his firm’s latest semi-annual survey of U.S. teenagers indicating that 34% of teenagers own the highly capable Apple device. Although that percentage seems a little high, the fact that a strong percentage of teenagers own a device that their elders couldn’t dream of is substantial. If students are as connected as this research indicates, what are the potential challenges they face?
One such challenge is the issue of purity. The pornography industry is making mobile lust a $1 billion+ business. This research doesn’t even mention the iPod touch device which has nearly every capability of the iPhone. How can parents help protect their children? One option, and perhaps the most wise, is to refuse to give teenagers an iPhone. iPhone and iPod Touch devices are a challenge in terms of content filtering. If parents choose not to take the strong measures to lock down the devices, they could be putting their children at risk. Parents should exercise as much diligence as required to ensure their child’s safety.
Below you’ll see one way to “lock down” an iOS (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad) device.
iPad, iPod Touch, iPhones
For iOS devices (iPod Touch, iPhone, iPad), it is currently impossible to run background filtering or accountability software.
Here is the only way to “lockdown” an iOS device:
- Set restrictions password
- Disable safari
- Disable app store
- Remove any apps that have direct access to google and a browser: facebook, twitter, etc.
- For installing of new apps or updating old ones, user must give device to accountability person to put in password
Milestone Events – The Launch
“The Launch” is a dinner for high school seniors and their parents aimed at marking the milestone of finishing high school while looking forward to the future. Many churches, including ours, have done a senior recognition service for years. While the senior service is a good experience, we felt as though we needed to do more to help seniors and families transition to the next season of life.
First, we have a nice dinner together catered by our church. During the dinner, we have a parent of college students share about how to thrive during the transitional time. Next, we have video testimonies from trusted adults encouraging students in their journey. The college pastor also shares brief words about what to expect and how to stay plugged into college ministry. The student pastor then shares a message that gives wisdom for students and families moving into the college years. Finally, parents give a notebook to their senior with letters, pictures, and memorable items from the high school years.
Here is more info about the notebook:
GUIDE FOR PREPARING YOUR SENIOR NOTEBOOK
The senior notebook is becoming a memorable item for parents and their seniors. The notebook is a compilation of wishes from parents, letters from trusted friends, memorable photos, and significant items that help encourage and point seniors toward a foundation of Christlikeness. Some parents have used Winkflash or other photo companies to create a bound picture album. Others have used a three ring binder to hold letters, photos, and keepsakes. Some creative moms crafted scrapbooks with collected items. The joy and treasure is not so much found in how the book is made but rather the contents and spirit of the gift. Here are a few more points to help:
• Collect letters from family members. Have them answer the question, “What do you think this senior can accomplish in life?”
• Have pastors at Highview and former churches handwrite a note of encouragement.
• Include a copy of pictures from memorable experiences that your family shared together.
• Keep a running collection of wishes or desires that you have for your son or daughter once they go to college. Think in terms of character and not so much achievement.
• Have brothers and sisters write a note of encouragement.
• Write or print Scripture that you are praying over for your teenager.
Some books have been long while others are short and to the point. Again, the point is thoughtful intentionality and not so much a showcase of artistic ability. At the graduation recognition dinner, parents will have a special time to give their notebook to their senior.
Other Milestone Posts
Cars, Jobs, & Girlfriends
Teenage Years
New Christians Class
Family Dedication
Toddler Time
Act of Valor – A brief review
Act of Valor is an American action adventure thriller depicting an elite team of U.S. Navy SEALs on a worldwide hunt to track and stop a deadly terrorist plot against the U.S. Active duty SEAL team members star in the film. Each time the SEALs accomplish their mission, new intelligence reveals another facet of the terrorist plot, which stretches from Chechnya to the Philippines and from Ukraine to Somalia. Stunning combat scenes, sharp interrogation, and incredible battlefield technology create a near first person experience.
Plugged In by Focus on the Family has a helpful content review showing that the film has a dozen f-words, about 10 s-words, two abuses of Jesus’ name, one “a‑‑,” one “d‑‑n” and one “h‑‑‑.” There’s also a crude reference to testicles. The film also includes a scene with ladies in bikinis walking around an exotic yacht. I chose to distract myself from the scene with a hunt for the red Skittles in my trusty bag of candy. In the past 12 years, I’ve watched only a small handful of R-rated films. The list is limited to the Passion of the Christ and a few other military-based films without sexual content. Individuals will have to decide whether it is prudent to watch this film.
My father served as a Marine, a member of the naval infantry force, during the Vietnam war. I couldn’t be more proud of my father. I have the utmost respect and honor for military service men and women. Act of Valor only strengthened my appreciation for the men and women who serve our country. Those who see the movie will feel in-tune with not only the courage and bravery needed to execute military operations, but also the connection between soldiers and their families. SEALs and other military personnel do not operate in a vacuum. They are husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters.
Why is this film so engaging? Because the human heart resonates with a story; beloved characters, despised villains, a plot to destroy, and a selfless hero who overcomes diversity. Author Donald Miller summarizes a story as, “a character who wants something and overcomes conflict to get it.” The SEALs in Act of Valor truly exhibit this resonating rhythm of giving oneself to another for the sake of defeating evil and providing care for all. It’s the grand Story in which we all live.
God created us in His image and we bear His likeness and represent Him on earth. We are to then exhibit characteristics that are godly; valor being one of those characteristics. However, human beings willfully and purposefully, through omission and commission, rebel against our God. Where fathers should exercise valor in their families, they often abandon their wives and children. Where boys should grow up as men, many prolong their adolescence in fear of boredom and real responsibility. Oddly, the same root sin of self-worship and idolatry residing in the heart of a terrorist resides in you and I (1 John 3:15). In the same Story, we are both the enemy of God and His object of redemption.
In the grand Story, Christ is the victor. He selflessly gives Himself for you and I so that we may have a restored relationship with our heavenly Father and become co-heirs with Christ. In a world filled with hate, racism, murder, envy, and strife, Christ ushers in a new Kingdom with His people free from the curse where we will work and live in rhythm our neighbor. Christ is the ultimate example of valor. Through grace, He allows us to exhibit the characteristic of valor in our lives in order to push back the curse. The men and women of the military who fight for freedom, protect our land, and repel the enemy are examples of sacrifice, service, and commitment.
Act of Valor gives the viewer an appreciation for our military personnel who give sacrificially for the care and well-being of individuals and families in the greatest country in the world. I look forward to a day when the SEALs may hang up their M4 rifles and return to their families. Jesus will return. The terrorists who have brought fear to the masses will meet their judgement. Those in Christ will rise in victory with their Brother as co-heirs of the Kingdom. Jesus is our great hero; our man of great valor. But until he comes, I thank God, on behalf of my family, for people of the military who exhibit true acts of valor.
Here are some questions that may help parents discuss this film:
.: What is valor? Who are some people in our life that you think exhibit valor?
.: What kind of sacrifices do the Navy SEALs make? Why should we be thankful for people in the military?
.: Do you think Jesus is the ultimate example of sacrifice and selflessness?
.: How can we better exhibit selflessness and sacrifice in our lives?
Milestone Events – Cars, Jobs, & Girlfriends
One of the often overlooked transitions in a young person’s life is the move from 10th grade into 11th grade. In many cases it is a much bigger change than the transition from junior high to high school. Three life experiences mark the huge shift from 10th to 11th grade: cars, jobs, and girlfriends. A young person’s level of freedom, dollars, and hormones can skyrocket as they hit the age of 16. They can now go where they want, with whom they want, and spend what they want.
What kinds of guidelines should parents set for their newly driving teenager? How will they address the issue of dating? How many hours should a teenager work? These are pressing issues for parents of 16 year-olds. How can parents proactively be ready to help craft proper boundaries and guidelines for their teenager? At our Cars, Jobs, and Girlfriends Milestone Event, we discuss issues pertinent in this transition. The winter 2012 event detailed issues of dating. We’ve developed a helpful resource to help parents form a plan for the dating years. Our Milestone Event included tag-team teaching time with a student pastor and a seasoned parent. We covered important principles in dating as outlined in our resource. The event concluded with a question and answer session.
Former Milestone Events Posts:
Teenage Years
New Christians Class
Family Dedication
Toddler Time
Milestone Events – Teenage Years
The teenage years can be a daunting stage of life for parents. Hung in limbo between childhood and adulthood, parents are charged with the task of navigating their children to become the men and women and women that God wants them to be. Our Milestone titled “teenage years” is aimed at encouraging and equipping parents to lead their teenagers to love Jesus. We gave a copy of this booklet to every parent. The booklet outlines helpful principles for gospel transformation in a teenager’s heart. As a church, we want to come alongside parents and provide resources, accountability, and care for parents.
Our teenage years event also included a helpful visual reminder to parents that their time is limited with their son or daughter. As parents registered at the door, we took down the names and grades of each of their teenage children. During the event, we worked quickly to assemble a jar of rocks for every teenager represented. The jar included a rock for every weekend that the parents had left with their teenager until they went off to college. Parents were surprised to see just how limited an amount of time they had left.
This teenage years event was aimed more specifically at helping parents set proper boundaries with their teenagers in the area of technology. Technology is vastly different today than it was 30, 15, and even 5 years ago. The world is rapidly changing, and teenagers are at the front-edge of what is new. Technology can be a great blessing or a great curse in the lives of our young people. Parents can stay in contact with their kids, send encouraging texts, guide them to discover new things on YouTube, and lead them to reach out to others through Facebook. On the dark side, teens can become enslaved to pornography, practice cyber-bullying, or develop anti-social tendencies and trade real relationships for inauthentic online acquaintances. At the teenagers and technology event, we focused on how parents can proactively protect their children not only on the internet, but also on iPhones, cell phones, and other mobile devices.
Former Milestone events posts:
New Christians Class
Family Dedication
Toddler Time
The new christians class is our next Milestone event. Children who have completed the first grade are welcome to attend the class. Volunteer teachers in the class serve as allies to parents in helping families discern their child’s decision to follow Christ. At the end of the class, the teachers have a discussion with parents on the readiness of their child to be baptized. The class also includes a tour of the baptistry area to help children feel familiar with the process. The class meets several times throughout the year.
Former Milestone events posts:
Family Dedication
Toddler Time
Sitting the Bench!
I rode the pine.
Basketball wasn’t my greatest gift in middle school. I was taller than other guys but crucial elements like coordination, speed, and shooting weren’t my biggest strengths. Not every parent has LeBron James for a son. David Prince explains in this article how parents can help their children serve them their team and emulate Christ was still riding the pine.
