I would be devastated, overwhelmed and heart-broken if my daughter suffered any kind of abuse from anyone in any fashion. I would give my life to make sure that did not happen. Further, I would be equally broken and horrified if one of my sons was falsely accused of abusing another. Having raised my children with very clear values and boundaries, I would believe them if they told me abuse occurred or did not occur.
Whether there is alleged abuse or alleged accusation, I appreciate that these kinds of things, brought out and into the light, bring awareness to very destructive behaviors.
We are told that one in four girls endure or suffer from some form of abuse or molestation, which is simply horrific. But it is also true that one in five boys suffer the same. Having been a social worker and marriage and family counselor for many years, I witnessed way too much devastation in lives of youth and of adults in both females and males.
I heard stories from young women who had been molested in their family barns, a place that should have been safe for them and I heard similar stories from young men. One young man told me that his female high school English teacher while on school premises repeatedly forced him to engage in sexual intercourse. His pain over this was evident years later.
We are responsible to teach our children truth and how destructive sex can be outside God’s boundary of marriage. My wife and I shared I Timothy 5:1 and 2 with our children, “Treat younger men as brothers…and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.” Your children’s school teachers, politicians, Hollywood or any news media will not be teaching these verses; it is your/our job to establish these boundaries and life-giving values.
Today we hand our children a smart phone to stay in touch with us. At the same time, we must realize these hand-held devices are a computer and they accesses pornography which teaches just the opposite of the values we are attempting to instill. Are you aware that Hollywood produces around 600 to 700 films per year while the pornography industry produces 13,000 films per year? Children are accessing some of the worst, most horrific sexual smut available for free on their phones each and every day.
In these times we are hard pressed to find any moral guidance coming from Washington DC, even as governmental leaders call for morality. And Hollywood continually puts out sexually provocative films and then expects morality among its ranks. You cannot have it both ways…sorry.
So let’s take responsibility for our own lives and the lives of our family. We need to have a zero tolerance of pornography and sexually explicit movies and television.
No matter the ill in our society, God’s word has already spoken on the subject and given us the most safe, most protective and life-giving answers. It is that same book that mentions not lying, not stealing, not committing adultery, not coveting and not murdering. This is not a call to fight or resist our government, our schools or even Hollywood, but it is a call to remember who our enemy actually is.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6: 12)
The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.(I Corinthians 10: 2)
Don and Samantha were new acquaintances. My wife and I were reaching out and getting to know them a bit better when Samantha blurted out her list. “We will NEVER get married; we will NEVER have children and we will certainly NEVER become Christians, not in this lifetime!” Don agreed.
My grandson often asks me, “Papaw, did you see me _________?” You can fill in the blank with almost anything he does or desires to be noticed doing. It can be really small, but he still wants to be observed. He longs for that voice of approval and praise. It’s a child thing, right?
Have you ever felt as though you were unraveling?
Life can be full of regrets, but integrity and high moral character will never leave one feeling remorseful. This blog is not for those who walk in disappointment, but rather those who are doing their best to avoid moral failure and the loss of integrity.
I had researched it thoroughly. I did my homework. We acquired the financing. We prayed together about it. It all checked out except for one minor detail…she said, “No.” SHE, my wife, was saying no to some vacant ground WE were interested in purchasing. Ok, so it’s a no, but why? Why after this being the third property we researched and visited was it yet another no?
I had this question posed from last week’s blog, 
Clinical psychologist, Anna Salter, wrote a helpful book titled, Predators: Pedophiles, Rapists and Other Sex Offenders. In that book she said, “Decades of research have demonstrated that people cannot reliably tell who is lying. Many offenders report that religious people are even easier to fool than most people.”
In light of recent news articles about sexual abuse coming out of Pennsylvania, I thought it appropriate to consider this subject in brief.
We don’t spot them because they blend in and we’re not naturally looking for a predator. In fact, most of us can’t even relate to such evil. With the signs above you can watch out for your children within your extended family, your neighborhood, your child’s school, sports activities and yes, your local church.
My grandson often repeats, “Papaw, did you see me…” or, “Watch me…” You can fill in the blank with almost anything he does or desires to be noticed doing. It can be a really small thing, however he still longs to be observed. He lives for that voice of approval and praise. It’s a child thing, right
There’s a new word in town. Have you heard of it? That word is a combination of two words: phone + snubbing = phubbing. Do you know a “phubber?” How would one know if this describes them? You can start by asking your friends. Ask your spouse or even better, ask your children. If people in your life are trying to get your attention while you’re looking down at a small hand-held screen all too frequently, you just might have a phubbing problem.
I just want to scream, “PUT YOUR PHONE DOWN AND LISTEN TO YOUR CHILD!” You brought them into the world to teach, train, listen to, care for, play with and love. PLEASE put your device aside and interact with your child.
Steve Prokopchak 