According to a 2010 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center one in three teens send more than one hundred texts a day. In a 2008 editorial, the American Psychiatric Association included texting as a part of a disorder known as “Internet addiction.” A disorder that is characterized by excessive text messaging and often times causes a person to be at a loss for time and possibly loss of basic duties. It’s been said people that have cell phone addiction are just as addicted to their phones as much as a drug abuser is to their narcotics.

 Even more concerning than the anxiety or lack of sleep is the growing concern about sending indecent and explicit pictures of themselves through their cell phones. No one knows this better than the family of Hope Witsell. As reported by Michael Inbar, a Today.com contributor, after her inability to get back together with her boyfriend Hope decided to try and get his attention by sending him an inappropriate and explicit picture of herself. The picture landed in the wrong hands. Word spread around the school. Hope was called very degrading and hurtful things suggesting that she was into inappropriate behavior. The student body was relentless in the name calling and sexual slurs to a point where Hope could no longer take it. A short time later she committed suicide.

 Parents everywhere are very concerned about such a tragedy happening to one of their children. Although some children will still act on their freewill, the best strategy is to “Train up our children in the way they should go and when they are old they won’t turn from it” (Proverbs 22:6). We find in the book of Deuteronomy (6;6-9)”These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” In the eleventh chapter verses 18&19 the book of Deuteronomy repeats this instruction almost verbatim. Paul encourages fathers to “not” exasperate your children; instead bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

According to The Online Dictionary the definition of a worldview is the overall perspective from which one sees and interprets the world. It includes a collection of beliefs about life and the universe held by an individual or a group. I wonder what will happen to our world as we know it since our children develop their worldviews based on those things that influence their lives.

What do our children learn about marriage and family life from watching their parents? Do they believe the worldview of marriage that is promoted from various media sources? Will young men grow up to treat their wives like they see men treat their wives in a television sitcom? Will they believe that it is acceptable to talk to their wives the way they see it in the show? Will our daughters grow up with an understanding about how they should treat their husbands that it is based on a television sitcom?

What are children learning in their own homes about marriage and parenting from their own parents? That is assuming both parents are even in the home. Are they learning that it is okay to argue in ways that are violent? What will the future hold if the “Sins of the Father” from Exodus 20:8 are passed onto our children? Will it only be a matter of time before they pass it onto their children?

If the questions raised in this article aren’t very important to you, you might want to reconsider. Our children’s worldview is truly influenced by these things. And it pertains to more than just relationships. What does a violent movie do to our children’s worldview about violence and killing? Research shows that participants who watched a violent movie clip as part of an experiment wrote down more aggressive thoughts than did those who watched a nonviolent movie clip. Research further reports that violent movies increase feelings of anger and hostility as well as increased aggression.

Our children’s worldview is even more “colored” by violent movies when they face circumstances that maybe ambiguous in another person’s intent. Violent movie watchers tend to judge the circumstance as more likely to be aggressive and respond based on that. Rather than being taught what Paul said in Philippians (4:8), which is, 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 on these things, Instead, they are focused on violent movies and are learning an entirely more aggressive and angrier worldview.

Sunday, August 16 th , was a day that changed my life forever. At the time, my wife and I were in San Marcos , Texas , visiting our daughter and her family. The crisis that took place that day could only have turned out the way it did with God's divine intervention.

A serious medical condition suddenly awakened me at 4:30 that morning, and because of my pain and semi-conscious state, my wife immediately called 911. Shortly after I was taken to the hospital she also called our church, Grace Fellowship, and asked that I be put on the prayer chain.

At the hospital I was put through a series of tests after which the surgeon gave me a very grim and serious diagnosis. Tests at that point determined I had a problem with my pancreas, colon, or spleen, and that it could be cancer. He wouldn't know for sure until he operated. I had never heard those words before and was obviously upset by them.

The surgeon informed me that he had forty-two years of experience and was currently putting together a surgical team to help me, but if I wanted to have the surgery done in Austin , approximately 45 minutes away, he would arrange it. At that point my wife spoke up and asked the doctor if he was comfortable with performing this surgery, and when he said he was she immediately made the decision to keep me there. We later found out that there would not have been enough time to go to Austin , as I would have bled to death on the way. I am so thankful God kept me in San Marcos .

I was later informed that even during surgery it was far more serious than I thought. Status reports ranged from "touch and go" to "intense and emotional". When the doctor finally came out of surgery he said he felt like he had just walked through a herd of alligators and survived. I found out that it was so difficult because I was bleeding at a rate faster than the surgical team could replace my blood. Seven of my eight units of blood had to be replaced, and it was only through the heroic efforts of my surgeon and the prayers of many people, that they were able to save me.

I realized more evidence of God's intervention when the surgeon informed us that if I had gotten onto the plane I was scheduled to fly home on that morning, and my spleen had ruptured four hours later, I would not have made it home. He said they would not have landed the plane, because my symptoms were similar to those of the flu, and not life-threatening internal bleeding.

My wife also realized that if it had ruptured five days sooner I would have been home alone, as she had flown to Texas several days ahead of me. This was more evidence of God's divine intervention.

I found out later that not only did my friends at Grace Fellowship Church put me on the prayer chain; they also interrupted the Sunday morning service to have corporate prayer for me and continued to pray for me throughout the day. When I looked back on that afternoon it occurred to me that while I was literally walking through the "Valley of the Shadow of Death," Grace Fellowship was standing in the gap interceding for me in prayer. Praise the Lord!

It was in recovery in the ICU that I began to reflect on what had happened. It raised in me some important questions like, "Why did God spare me and not others who have lost their battles to cancer or heart disease? If this had been the end of my life, what would I have wanted to say to loved ones that I hadn't yet said? What relationships would I have wanted to restore? What things were left undone?"

As I think of how God spared me, fully realizing it does not always happen that way, I am reminded of a quote from Dr. James Dobson, "It is an incorrect view of Scripture to say that we will always comprehend what God is doing and how our suffering and disappointment fit into His plan."

Proverbs 25:2 says, "It is God's privilege to conceal things and the king's privilege to discover them."

In Isaiah 45:15 he wrote, "Truly Oh God of Israel, our Savior, you work in strange and wonderful ways," and in Isaiah 55:8 and 9 he wrote, " 'My thoughts are completely different than yours,' says the Lord, 'and my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.' "

Solomon wrote that God's ways are as hard to discern as the pathways of the wind, and as mysterious as a tiny baby being formed in a mother's womb.

As I think about and try to comprehend going to heaven, I believe Paul may have said it best in I Corinthians 13:12. "Now we see things imperfectly as in a poor mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity."

Many people are in favor of going to heaven, but are concerned about the process, the actual leaving of this life and entering heaven. Compare that to Paul's message in Philippians 1:21. "As for me, living is for Christ, but to die is gain." What a perspective on heaven! It is gain! This experience put dying in a new light for me.

Trying to understand why God spared me is a bit like looking into Paul's mirror and seeing things dimly, but I am comforted by the words from Jeremiah 29:11, " 'I know the plans I have for you,' says the Lord. 'They are for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.' " Thankfully it appears as though God's plans for me are not yet finished, and I look forward to "a future and a hope."

With Valentines Day just past, I thought it would be good to 
focus on some benefits of Christian Marriage. How many people celebrated their marriage this week? How many thought that a card and a box of candy would do? How many took their children out with them instead of going alone? How many husbands may have changed the oil more recently than they have taken their wives out on a date? How many wives may have painted a room more recently than fixing a romantic dinner for their husbands? 

Valentine's Day can certainly be a special time of the year to celebrate your marriage. Valentine's Day can be to your marriage what Christmas is to your family. What would it look like if you did this? How would it be different? If you put as much effort into preparing for the celebration of your marriage as you do Christmas, think what it would be like? Of course we say that there is importance in celebrating Jesus' birth at Christmas, but we should celebrate him in our marriages as well. 
Making Jesus the center of our marriage has been the most important decision my wife and I have made outside of, first and foremost, accepting Him as our Lord and Savior. We have benefited in so many ways. One is that in the same way that we examine ourselves to make sure we are prepared for Communion; we also examine ourselves to prepare for marriage on a daily basis. This helps us make sure that the fruits of the spirit such as, love, joy, peace, patience, and kindness are present daily. We wouldn't want to be distant in our marriage anymore than we would want to be distant in our relationship with Jesus. We help each other stay close to the Lord by encouraging each other and supporting each other's efforts to grow in Christ. 
Other important benefits involve our physical and emotional health. Research by Dr. Dolores Krieger, professor of nursing at New York University, found that touch increased hemoglobin which is responsible for carrying oxygen throughout our bodies. This means that the more we touch, the more the oxygen goes out to organs and helps facilitate physical health. Through something as simple as hugs or holding hands our health naturally improves. A study at UCLA found that eight to ten meaningful touches a day are required to maintain emotional health. 
Another benefit of Christian marriage is that we can pray for each other. To illustrate this I want to share a story with you. In December, my wife and I flew to Dallas, Texas to participate in the celebration of my mother's life. It was during this celebration that I was supposed to deliver the eulogy. The morning of the celebration I woke up with significant evidence that I had the flu. I was so sick that I could not get out of bed to pick up our son at the airport. I was so sick that when I saw my son around noon, and only five hours before the start of the celebration, I asked him if he would give the eulogy for me. At around one o'clock my wife came into the room and prayed for my healing. Although I wasn't totally awake, I knew that she was praying and the scripture that came to mind was from Paul's writings in II Corinthians where he says, "that in my weakness, Father, you be made strong and glorified." I began to pray this as my wife was praying for my healing. At that very moment I felt my stomach feeling warm and I fell back asleep. By two o'clock I was awake, sitting up in bed and smiling when my wife came in. She asked me what I was smiling about and I said, "I know that you came in and prayed for me, and God is healing me before our very eyes." My health continued to improve and I was able to go and give my mother's eulogy and glorify God for the healing. This would not have happened if my wife had not been praying for me. 

Maybe if the oil has been changed more recently than your last date, or if the kitchen has been painted more recently than you last celebrated your marriage with a romantic dinner, today would be a good day to make some changes and do something about it. By putting Jesus at the center of your marriage, and purposely showing love and honor to your spouse, you will find that marriage can be a wonderful blessing from God. 

With the celebration of Easter being a little more than a week ago I thought it might be important to embrace an important gift that we have received because of it. Because Jesus died and rose again, we not only have eternal life but we also have power, victory and dominion over the evil one. 
Because of what Jesus did on the cross we are forgiven of our sin. Praise the Lord! When Jesus was on the cross bleeding and tortured he cried out “Father forgive them because they know not what they do.” In saying that He demonstrated in the most difficult way in history what He wants us to do; forgive. 
When you think about forgiving people what makes it difficult for you to do it? George Herbert states that “He who can not forgive breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass.” Cherie Carter Scott said “Anger makes you smaller while forgiveness forces you to grow beyond what you were.”
Living in unforgiveness produces relational paralysis. You become paralyzed to enter into the freedom that Paul wrote about in Romans (8:2) “Through Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit of Life sets you free from the law of sin and death. In following His law is where we find “Freedom” The freedom of forgiveness is freeing and empowering to us. It frees up energy that can be used in constructive ways to grow in life in ways that only our God knew was possible. 
As you look at your life, “What paralyzes you from forgiving? Because the evil one attacks our thinking, are you hanging unto to your unforgiveness as a defense against being hurt again because the constant memory of the unforgiveness keeps you from being hurt again? Paul encourages us in Ephesians (4:26&27) to “Not to let the sun go down on our anger lest we give the devil a foothold.” That foothold is on, as author Joyce Myers states, “The Battlefield of the Mind”. It is there that the evil one is capable of lurking around like a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He is lurking around trying to deceive your thinking into believing it is too difficult to forgive because it hurts too much. If forgiveness seems impossible because it hurts too much lets remember what Jesus said in the book of Matthew (11:28) “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” In our ministry we have discussed what it means when Jesus said “Come to me”. We have decided that it means to “Include Him” when dealing with things like hurtful feelings of unforgiveness. If you do, not only will you find rest but forgiveness as well.
Some people struggle with forgiveness because of what forgiveness means to them. If forgiveness is condoning what happens as alright, they stay paralyzed by unforgiveness because they will not “Condone” what happened as ok. It doesn’t mean the offense was ok. That is not necessary to forgive. You can still believe the offense was wrong and still find forgiveness, after all, didn’t Jesus?
Forgiveness is not forgetting. Some research reported by Dr. Dobson would say that we will never forget. The evil one would want you to believe that remembering is critical so it doesn’t happen again. That is a lie! It is possible to heal from the memory and not forget it. Often times people would say, “I will forgive but I won’t forget”! The reason you don’t forget is because you haven’t healed yet! Healing includes talking about the offense that hurt you and how it made you feel. It also includes replacing or letting go of the negative feelings and replacing them with positive healthy feelings. Those positive and healthy feelings can only happen by truly letting go of the negative feelings, a term we call “Healing”.
If we rely on Jesus to empower us to forgive and heal, then we will receive a tremendous Easter gift, a gift that our Heavenly Father intended in the first place, close relationship with Him

Several weeks ago, my wife and I went to see the home opener for the Ohio State Buckeyes. We had a marvelous time enjoying the talents of Ted Ginn, Jr. and company scoring touchdowns and the excitement associated with Ohio State football. We were both excited about meeting our daughter, her husband, and his family after the game to go out to dinner to celebrate his birthday. 
As we walked back to our car, which can be equivalent to a half day journey at OSU football games, I was praying about this upcoming Viewpoint article and what I should write about, when a very disturbing and uncomfortable series of events left me asking the Lord, "Was this what you had in mind?" 
We came upon our parking place along Kinnear Rd., only to realize that our new car was gone. Imagine the incredible feelings that overwhelmed us when we determined that it definitely was not where we had left it. At first we were overwhelmed by fear that it had been stolen. "How could this be?!" Our fear then turned to anger when we thought it may have been towed. "How could this be?!" We rationalized that our car wasn't parked any differently than the other hundreds of cars on the same road. 
Trying to be level headed I thought about what to do. I remembered the words of Dr. David Jeremiah who said, "The only thing that you can do is the best thing that you can do, pray." So right there in the middle of all the football fans my wife and I prayed for God's intervention. 
I then began to ask the deputy sheriffs directing traffic if they knew if any cars had been towed. At first they told us ours had not been towed, but as we were both about to have heart attacks thinking it must have been stolen, another officer said it might have been towed after all and gave us a number to call for the Columbus police. 
When this officer showed up we frantically asked him about our car, to which he replied, "It was sticking out in the road, so we towed it." 
My wife's reaction, which was better than mine, was one of relief. (The only worse possible thing that could happen to her would be if our dog was missing.) 
My reaction was a little different. I had a sense of relief that we knew where our car was, but at the same time I had a very strong desire to discuss with the officer whether or not our car was "sticking out in the road!" I soon realized he wasn't as open minded about "discussing" it, so instead I asked how we could get our car back. He told us that our car was about seven miles away and getting it back was our problem. Here we were, supposed to be meeting our daughter and her husband for dinner and we had no car to get there. 
It was then I began to see the lessons that the Lord had for me that day. Remembering the prayer that we offered up in the middle of football Saturday, we called our daughter to inform her about what had happened and see if they could help. 
She said it would be no problem, because part of the family that was expected to join us for dinner was only a few hundred yards away at a local shopping area where they had parked for the game, and they would gladly give us a ride to our car. Not only did they give us a ride, but they had the new navigation system in their car to help us find the car lot where our car was. 
The first lesson that came to me from our Lord was that He promised to never leave me nor forsake me and in our hour of need He was there. (Deut.: 4:31) 
The second lesson that I learned from the experience was about receiving from others. This time when it was my "ox in a ditch," I had to experience receiving help. This isn't always easy since my daily job in counseling is about giving. I don't often get to feel that humbling feeling that comes from receiving help from others. 
The next lesson was about my anger. I realized that it is possible to be angry and not sin (Eph.: 4:26). Although the desire to argue was intense, I don't believe I sinned in my anger. My disagreement with the officer was not expressed in foul language or disrespect to him as an officer. I simply told him (and my wife backed me up) that we had both looked at where we left the car and knew that it was completely off the road. 
The final and most important lesson was about the power of prayer. It was very real and felt so good to know that He loves us so much that we can even call on Him for something as small to Him, yet huge to us, as our missing car. And thankfully, we got our car back, safe and sound. 

Lowell Paxson, chief of PAX TV, reported that in just one day's time  satellite and cable providers are airing 675 hours of out and out pornography over the television airwaves. Clear Channel Communications, the nation's largest radio broadcast company fired "Bubba the Love Sponge" after receiving the FCC's largest fine ($750, 000).  It also stopped airing Howard Stern for being vulgar, offensive and insulting. 
Clear Channel President and CEO, John Hogan expressed embarrassment for the content of the "Bubba" radio show.  "As a broadcaster, as the CEO, and as the father of a 9-year-old girl, I'm ashamed to be associated in any way with those words," Hogan said, apologizing to listeners, the public and Congress. "We were wrong to air that material, and I accept full responsibility for our mistake."
Compare that statement with Howard Stern's after he was fired. "These fascist right-wing (expletive deleted) are getting so much freakin' power.  You gotta take back the country.  That's my last words to you."

What makes this a problem?  Why get involved?  Looking at the impact that it has on our young  people may show why it is a problem and why it makes a difference to get involved. Twenty-three years ago MTV was a fledging music network.  Today it is the most visible, visual and vocal communicator of sexualized messages to teen and preteen audiences.  Today it reaches 350 million households world wide (PBS On - Line, 2001) with 39% of viewers under the age of 18 (Neilson Media research, 2000).
Research has shown that children are influenced by television. Comparisons of Mr. Roger's Neighborhood and Sesame Street clearly showed that television has an impact on children.   While viewing Sesame Street, a highly stimulating program, children were more active, restless and unsettled.  On the other hand, children viewing Mr. Roger's Neighborhood, which is much more relaxing, were more calm and focused.  The implications of such research  indicate that children could also be influenced about  sex from watching television.  

In a content analysis, 75% of concept videos (videos that tell a story) showed sexual imagery, and a large portion showed violence against women. Experimental studies showed  that viewing music videos of this nature may influence adolescent attitude concerning early or risky sexual behavior.  Our children are perceiving the behavior portrayed in such videos to be the norm. They are learning that this sexual agenda is normal and acceptable.   As a result, we have the highest teen pregnancy rate of any industrialized nation, with over 35% of teen girls getting pregnant at least once by the age of twenty.  The number of teen pregnancies has grown to over 850,000 per year.   Also, three million teens are affected by a sexually transmitted disease each year, the highest among industrialized nations.

Paul writes in Colossians 2:8, "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ."  He also wrote in Philippians 4:8, "To fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure lovely and admirable."   We can make a difference with what is aired on television so that we don't "fall into a hollow and deceptive philosophy" and so that we help our children" fix their thoughts on what is true and honorable."

You can let your feelings on this subject be known by calling the chairman of MTV, Tom Freston, at 212-258-8000.  Last fall the countless numbers of American people called the executive offices of  Abercrombie and Fitch to put pressure on them to stop portraying nudity in their catalogs and their voices were heard.  In the same way, Americans need to let MTV and other television and radio stations airing inappropriate material that they have had enough.

Howard Stern may have been right about one thing. We do need to take back our country, but for Jesus Christ and our future generations of children, not for the values of a person like him.