If you have a Facebook or Twitter account, chances are you are inundated with political posts. Whether these posts are written using a conservative or liberal point of view, it strikes me odd that so many people use so much of their passion simply putting something meaningful on their Facebook wall, for others, who more than likely share their point of view, to agree with. It seems like we’re becoming a generation with verbose opinions, but who has little interest in getting our hands dirty to actually make changes in the woven tapestry of our current culture.

How do we American Christians see ourselves? What is our history? What are our values? What contributions have we brought to the world? What is our role in the world today? These are all very important questions, especially living in the post-modern world of 2013.

Battling the Darkness in Society

Most of us see that there is a darkness surrounding today’s culture. Whether we look at today’s movies, literature, music, politics and current events, we clearly see that most aspects of the American culture lack the influence of a Biblical worldview. We see the enemy’s hands at work, and we see Christians react, but we see very little in the way of Christians using their passions to cultivate change, whether creatively, financially, or even vocally. We’re great at boycotting things and companies that go against our worldview. And yes, that is using our voices to show our strength in numbers or dollars. But could we be doing more to actively change culture for the better?

When we see a book, like Fifty Shades of Grey, do we think to ourselves, “I wish there were more books that fit into my worldview”, or do we go seek out books by Christian authors, and support their work? We need to actively get behind Christian creatives, who are passionate about making changes in culture. We need to take that $5 that we saved boycotting a specific coffee house, and seek out a Christian filmmaker on Kickstarter who has a project that will creatively spread the concept of redemption in a film, but who needs funding to his project off the ground. Look no further than the animated work here on Club Jelly Telly. Can we impact our children’s generation with programming that is God-centric? Should we support this endeavor and others like it?

We Christians have found our voice. We just need to target our activism so that we can change the darkness of our American culture. We can take back what was once ours, at least to a large degree. But it does take more than preaching to the choir. It takes action.

How do you plan on changing culture for our kids’ generation?

Lisa Strnad is a weekly contributing writer/blogger to What’s in the Bible? and Jelly Telly. She has been a homeschooling mom of two, who works independently in Christian media in the areas of writing, promotions and marketing. She lives with her husband and children in Nashville,TN. Follow her personal blog posts onTalking Like A Girl.

The post Taking Action to Change Our Culture appeared first on Club JellyTelly.

Let me take you back a few years and give you some insight why this little book holds a special place in my heart. Given to “the boy” as a gift from his Aunt, “A Hat For Ivan” was the favorite book of my son several years ago. As luck would have it, an opportunity to meet one of my heroes, Max Lucado, happened about that same time. We took the family, waited in line and spent the most amazing time with Max and his bride Denalyn. As you can see from the picture below, Max took a special liking my son. When we told him this book was his favorite, he got down off of his chair, embraced Austin and said “God made a special hat for Ivan, and he has one for you too.” I can’t lie, I got all kinds of choked up. It’s a moment I’ll never forget.

Now back to last night. I grabbed a “Hat For Ivan”, crawled into my 8 year olds bed and began to read. The words flowed from my lips and went straight to my heart. A story about a loving father that creates hats specifically for each person. A story of hats that just didn’t fit. A story of Ivan struggling to find the hat that was best for him. Words like:

“Ivan was surprised. Not disappointed. Not happy. Just surprised. He thought his hat would come from his father, the hat-maker. But, then again, maybe he was wrong. Besides, Ivan didn’t want to hurt his friend’s feelings.”

Have you ever been there? Have you ever grabbed a “hat” believing it was the one for you only to find that it just didn’t fit? Ivan did. As I read these words, I think it hit me because I have been guilty of that too. As I read the words…

I was surprised.

Not disappointed.

Not happy.

Just surprised.

So where do you go? I couldn’t get to the end of this children’s book fast enough. What did Ivan do? What should I do?

“I’m the hat-maker, Ivan. I have seen what happens when people wear hats they weren’t intended to wear. They feel silly. They fall down. They get tired.

Listen, son, just because someone gives you a hat, that doesn’t mean you are supposed to wear it. They mean well, but they don’t know you. That’s my job. I’m the hat-maker, and I’m your father.”

There it was in black and white. A little story about a kid and his hat-making dad. Between the lines I read that I need to lean into my father for the hat that fits. Wearing hats that I’ve grabbed I wasn’t intended for feel silly. I fall down and I get tired. How about you? Tired from wearing the wrong hats? Whatever your story trust that, as Max said, “God has a hat just for you.”

Just like he did for Ivan.

Just like he does for Austin.

Just like he does for me.

Aaron Conrad is the Executive Director at RockCityChurch.tv, husband, father, follower of Christ, Tar Heel fan, random tweeter and believer that Love Does!

The post An 8 Year Old, A Story, and A Moment appeared first on Club JellyTelly.

Acts of Kindness

 
As adults we sometimes struggle with knowing what exactly we should do on Mother’s Day for our moms. Do we get them a present? Take them out to eat? Send them a card? How do we show mom we appreciate all she’s done for us through the years and what she still represents to our lives now?

No matter their age, our moms need to know they are loved. Don’t be shy…Tell her you love her. Do something for her. Acts of kindness, which may mean you sacrifice some of your free time, will show her you care about her needs. Is she having financial troubles? Help her if you’re able to, remembering how important it is for her to keep her dignity. If she is ill, try to be the one who tends to her needs and see to it that her medications are filled and picked up, and that food is prepared. Reassure her that you will be there for her as she gets older, and as her needs change. Be appreciative of what she’s given to you and still can give you through her wisdom.

Being There For Your Mom

 
As our parents age, they become fearful of some of the things they’ve always been able to do by themselves. They realize their own physical limitations. My mom still drives, and feels confident as long as it’s back and forth to a location that she is familiar with. But if I asked her to drive alone to a place she doesn’t know as well, she would be very afraid. Try to learn the ways in which mom is changing as she gets older. Then help her get through these changes with grace. Don’t expect her to be the same person physically that she was 15 years ago. With understanding, offer to take her places and help her run errands. This is also a great way the grandkids can show grandma how much they appreciate her, as well!

Remember that your mom sacrificed a lot for you. She held you when you were afraid. She took care of you during all your illnesses. She was your biggest fan at all your little league games and piano recitals. She tirelessly worked to make every holiday a memorable experience. She knows your favorite meal, and if she’s still able to cook, she still loves making it for you! She believed in you before you believed in yourself, and knew there was nothing you couldn’t accomplish.

This Mother’s Day be sure to honor all mothers, young and old. We need to make sure they know how much we love and value them–still, and that we always, always will.

Lisa Strnad is a weekly contributing writer/blogger to What’s in the Bible? and Jelly Telly. She has been a homeschooling mom of two, who works independently in Christian media in the areas of writing, promotions and marketing. She lives with her husband and children in Nashville,TN. Follow her personal blog posts on Talking Like A Girl.

The post How We Adults Can Honor Our Mothers appeared first on Club JellyTelly.

Click Here to Download Now: Mother’s Day Coloring Page

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When I lived in Nashville 10 years ago, two of these songwriters were in my circle of friends.  We spent hours upon hours listening to their intelligently crafted songs and distinctive voices in local coffee shops, churches, and homes.  This album reminds me of being there, of the intimacy of those times.  And now, they’re imparting the gift of music to their own children and to children like mine.  Isn’t that what folk music is about?  Folk is the music of the people – all kinds of people – at all different stages of life.  Its melodies are approachable, soothing, familiar, and sentimental.

The women of Rain For Roots are authentic folk artists capturing and celebrating the magic of childhood.  Children’s voices, laughter, and little conversations are peppered throughout the CD.  After one song, a toddler girl’s voice exclaims, “Yaaay!”  You can just imagine the recording: a room full microphones and guitars and drums and mommies and daddies and little ones playing and singing and hopping on and off of laps.

photo credit: noisetrade.com

As a believer and a mother, I appreciate a kids’ CD that helps teach my daughter the wonderful stories of the Bible in words she can understand at age three.  The song titles are full of action words, teaching children that our Lord is alive and intimately active in our lives (“God Makes…”  “God Rescues…”  “God Helps…”).

But listening to Big Stories For Little Ones (again and again…), I cannot help but think that the songs are for me, too.

On a particular tired mama day, the lyrics from “Jesus Loves Little Children” (sung by Katy Bowser) moved me to tears while driving, my vision blurring:

He made the stars and oceans blue
But says that none compare with you

You are His treasure and great prize
He knows your name, He made your eyes

He is your Shepherd, little lamb

The King of Heaven
The great I Am

He is your Shepherd, little lamb

Honestly, there are days when I really don’t need any more fancy words, deep thoughts, or doctrine; I just need to hear about how God loves me, plain and simple.  Big Stories For Little Ones is a kids’ CD that can speak life and encouragement not just to little ones, but to mama too.  And that makes it the perfect musical companion for our family.

Christine Bailey is wife to Steven and mama to two-and-half-year-old Luci Isabelle. After working in the music industry in Nashville for many years and then for an African relief organization, she and her husband now own an organic produce pickup and market in Dallas and would love to have their own farm one day. In her (not so) spare time, she shares her art, photography, and writings on her blog, Dreams of Simple Life, and shares meals around her farm table, takes walks with her girl, and looks for the beauty amidst the imperfection of everyday life.

The post Music Review: Rain For Roots: Big Stories for Little Ones appeared first on Club JellyTelly.

How do you help your kids prepare for end-of-year school stress, such as exams and big projects?

Christine Bailey:

My daughter is almost three, so we don’t have any “end of school” stress, but we do have to prepare her for big events in our family such as big trips out of town, or even holidays such as Christmas where our normal routine will change for a bit. I’ve found the quote “High expectations lead to much disappointment” to be very true. I’ve found that if expectations aren’t managed (even in a toddler), our moods can do downhill pretty quickly and chaos ensues. So we try to prepare her beforehand for what to expect and let her know what her role will be – one step at a time.

Heather Conrad:

Just a week ago, our two oldest children (6th grade and 4th grade) took our state standardized tests for their grade level. Much emphasis was placed on getting enough sleep and eating well. While I’m an advocate for both, it’s emphasized in our home not just during testing time, but all year round. I’m a firm believer that in doing our part to take care of the body, or temple, the Lord has given to us, it will produces healthy results and the body can maximize it’s fullest potential. Then, in times of added stress, it’s not a foreign concept to its normal cycle. I also encourage short-terms goals for the kids to reach that give them a sense of accomplishment and motivates them to continue to completion. In addition, we create rewards. After short-term goals are reached, we allow them to enjoy the fruit of their labor. They are practicing the art of not only a completed job, but a job done to the best of their ability. Nothing beats that type of reward!

Stephanie Shepherd:

Because we homeschool we have a bit more flexibility than most when we have lots of extra (and especially evening) activities. Where I normally like to start our school day around 9am, when it gets busy, I let my kids sleep a little later in the morning and start school a little later. By rolling everything back about an hour it isn’t a huge disruption to our day and they aren’t sacrificing sleep to meet mama’s desire to stay on track with our schedule. : ) I’m also a huge fan of Elisabeth Elliott’s quote, “Do the next thing.” By breaking down our tasks and responsibilities into smaller steps and teaching my kids to do the same, we can hopefully avoid feelings of being overwhelmed as we just focus on “the next thing” that we need to take care of.

The post JellyTelly Voices: How do you help your kids prepare for end-of-year school stress, such as exams and big projects? appeared first on Club JellyTelly.

Modern movies and television have made rooting for the anti-hero sort of common place. Why do we love the anti-hero so much?

Anti-heroes. The guys (or gals) that we’re not really supposed to like, but do. In fact we love them! Why? They don’t play by the rules, they can be total self-absorbed jerks, and they will rob you blind. But somewhere underneath their prickly persona, they tend to stand for something that makes sense to us, whether or not they do it legally or ethically. And let’s be honest, they have wittiest lines and are true under-dogs who have a backstory that explains the reason why they are like they are. We’re not supposed to root for them, but oh, how we love to!

One of my personal favorite anti-heroes has to be Jack Sparrow. A more brilliantly inept pirate never sailed the sea! It’s in his rather clumsy narcissism that we see a vein of goodness running through his mercenary character . We actually cheer when the those who are upholding the law, fail! We want nothing more than to help Jack, escape! Being a pirate isn’t supposed to be an honorable profession. Jack Sparrow definitely has tweaked that belief in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise!

Another anti-hero we love is Batman / Bruce Wayne. While he’s a crime fighter, he’s also a ridiculously rich industrialist. His fortune obviously entitles him to live above the law, because even as a crime fighter, he frequently doesn’t stay within it’s boundary. Let’s face it, he can be a real jerk at all those swanky parties he attends. But he lives by a moral code that we agree with, and he fights for justice in an unjust and cruel world!

Do you want one more example? How about Han Solo! Solo didn’t start out as anything more than a scoundrel and bootlegger who was on the run from bounty hunter, Bobo Fett. Viewing things legalistically, we should’ve been rooting for his capture! But instead we loved him from early on. We saw that he was a diamond in the rough, and watched his character grow from a self-centered vigilante to one who ends up fighting against the evil Darth Vader!

So why do we love these so-called anti-heroes? My guess is because they are so flawed in their human character, that we can easily relate to them. As we know all too well, being a Christ follower doesn’t mean we are perfect. Quite the opposite. We are sinners who struggle to live life by God’s Code, a Biblical worldview. We are clumsy like Jack Sparrow in our attempts at good works, but we know in our clumsiness there is still God’s grace. We are sometimes self-absorbed, like Tony stark, and can be judgmental and snarky when dealing with people, like Bruce Wayne, but we strive to be a part of the Body of Christ and do what God calls us to do in life, all the while learning how to love like Jesus. Maybe all we really want to do is keep our head down, and get through the day, but like Han Solo, we must constantly fight against the evil that the enemy throws at us and in that fight we learn that in Christ all things are possible!

Lisa Strnad is a weekly contributing writer/blogger to What’s in the Bible? and Jelly Telly. She has been a homeschooling mom of two, who works independently in Christian media in the areas of writing, promotions and marketing. She lives with her husband and children in Nashville,TN. Follow her personal blog posts on Talking Like A Girl.

The post Why Do We Love the Anti-Hero? appeared first on Club JellyTelly.

And every one of them matter.

Monday night I went on a ride along with a police officer friend of mine. One of our calls was to interrogate and arrest an employee that had been stealing. This wasn’t a situation where the individual had grabbed a pack of gum and put it in his pocket. This was the tipping point of months of theft and poor decisions. As my friend read him his rights (they really do that by the way) and discussed his options, I stood witness to “that moment” when the weight of his decisions became real. I couldn’t help but think of the lyrics to a song from a few years ago.

People never crumble in a day. 

The journey from your mind to your hands is shorter than your thinking.

I’m a sucker for a story so I wondered what caused this individual to feel that desperate. I wondered what, in his life, caused him to feel that he could get away with it. I wondered how he could know that his employer had a security system that rivals Fort Knox and yet he did it anyway. I wondered if he thought he was actually getting away with it or if deep down he knew there would be a moment of reckoning. I wondered if he had a well thought out plan to return all that he had taken once he got ahead.

Then I noticed the wedding ring on his finger….

Like several other stories I have seen the past few months, the consequences of our poor decisions can hurt other innocent people. We have to know that. What we do in that moment or those moments has consequences. Often those consequences affect those around us even more than they affect us. We will do the crime (so to speak), but often our loved ones will “do the time.” They will carry the weight and burden of the clean up. They will be forced to make adjustments to something they never asked for or dreamed would happen. Decisions can effect generations.

Understand that as I stood in that room and had these thoughts, I didn’t stand in judgment. I actually felt remorse. I felt remorse for the many times I had made bad choices in life. I felt remorse for the ones that ended bad and those that I seem to think I got away with. Don’t get me wrong, I never stole from an employer, but there are decisions I’ve made and regrets I carry. I’ve pulled the pin on a grenade more than once and left before I could see the damage it caused.

I think of our children and how we’re all doing our best to raise them in this social media driven world. Their decisions can now be recorded, replayed, and saved on hard drives and clouds. We must help them understand that their choices, even the ones that seem harmless, have consequences. Helping them make good choices when it comes to apps, web sites, how much they share and how often they share it, could save years of regret. It’s our responsibility as parents because their circles of influence have the same temptation and pressure.

The intent of this post is not to be a Debbie Downer. Actually, I walked away from that moment doing some personal inventory. Maybe this post will do the same for you. Are you in the midst of some bad decisions? It’s time to come clean. It’s time to get real. If not for yourself, do it for those around you that will bare the burden if/when the consequences meet the choices. Engage with your children as to what’s on their devices and how they use them.  It’s a slow fade. Decide today to stop the fade. Think about the weight of your decisions. You’re not alone. I’m thinking about my own too.

Aaron Conrad is the Executive Director at RockCityChurch.tv, husband, father, follower of Christ, Tar Heel fan, random tweeter and believer that Love Does! He blogs at aaronconrad.com

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If you have children who are over the age of 12, chances are they know more about available apps then any of us ever will! Technology is moving rapidly, and really, what parent has the time or inclination to spend hours on social media? The thing is, we need to know some of the pitfalls associated with these social media platforms so we can help protect our kids from the many dangers that can lurk around the cyber corners.

While most of us at least know about, if not use, Facebook ourselves, there is another social media platform that is on the rise in teen and tween use, and that’s Instagram. This app for iPads (tablets) and smart phones is a free downloadable program. The user creates an account that will utilize assorted filters to take and post pictures. Here’s the scary part for us. These pictures are then available to be seen by anyone, throughout the world. There are also additional options available that allow people to post these pictures on Facebook or Twitter.

Safety of Instagram

Parents are under the assumption that sites like Instagram are safe. But really, there is no immediate safety net to protect whatever is posted by our children. The only safety stipulation to signing up for Instagram is that you have to be 13 years old, but there is no way to validate the users age or profile. This opens up our kids to an overwhelmingly dangerous amount of exposure, that many of them may not even realize.
By default, pictures posted on Instagram are on a public forum. You can imagine how this could easily lead to bullying, or even inappropriate re-posting of seemingly private pictures. In fact, there have been accounts set up on Istagram that are for the primary purpose of bullying a person!

A good rule of thumb is to make sure they know, whenever a picture is posted on these sites, it has the potential to go virtually anywhere and sent to anyone in the world!

Going back in my mind to when I was in junior high, and realizing that name calling and social isolation seemed like the end of the world to a 13 year old girl, how much worse do these possible bullying tactics sound?

Steps to Protecting Your Kids on Instagram

There are some ways to protect your kids on social media, and that’s why we must have at least a working knowledge about these sites.

1. First, make sure to talk to your teens about the hidden dangers of social media. While we like to think our kids are wholesome and naive in a good way, we can’t let them fall victim to the many dangers that are out there. Mom and dad I’m here to tell you, if your kids have access to a computer or if they own a phone that does more than receive incoming calls, they are more than likely on Facebook, Twitter and probably other social media platforms like Instagram.

2. Be sure that the privacy settings on their page are changed from the default “public” to “private” or only viewable by friends or followers. Be sure to follow your kids’ pages because anyone can follow a person, once again leaving them open to danger. Again, talk to them about only accepting people they actually KNOW to follow their page.

3. Geo-tagging is a feature on Instagram that isn’t on default, but easily activated once they tag a photo. This feature will display their current location. Not safe. Be sure they know not to use this feature when posting photos.

4. They also need to know that they have the capability to block and report other Instagram users who share inappropriate pictures or make inappropriate/ threatening comments. Go to the profile page of the offending person, tap the button in the right top corner of the screen, then tap “block user” or “report user”.

Bullying is never okay. We need to help our kids feel safe and in this age of fast moving technology, we can also help empower them to use what’s available to them to set better boundaries around themselves to protect their hearts, minds and spirits.

Lisa Strnad is a weekly contributing writer/blogger to What’s in the Bible? and Jelly Telly. She has been a homeschooling mom of two, who works independently in Christian media in the areas of writing, promotions and marketing. She lives with her husband and children in Nashville,TN. Follow her personal blog posts on Talking Like A Girl.

The post Keeping Our Kids Safe On Instagram appeared first on Club JellyTelly.

One of my favorite things about our new house are the rose bushes in the front yard. I do not have a green thumb at ALL so finding these this spring was a true delight.

A friend stopped by recently and told me that these roses will bloom all summer long if the dead flowers are regularly pruned so that new growth can occur.

While the girls rode their bikes for a bit before lunch, I found an old pair of shears (and the girls helped me some with our kitchen scissors) and went to work trimming the dead parts. It didn’t take long before I had filled an entire lawn trash bag with dead rose tops … and I know I missed some!

As I pruned, I thought about how Jesus uses the vine throughout the New Testament. As we are winding up this school year, I have been thinking about taking some time to evaluate where I need to do a little pruning as a Mama, a teacher, a wife.

While I continued to cut on my bushes so many comparisons to pruning plants and pruning lives jumped into my head. As I pricked myself (multiple times) on thorns, I thought about how some pruning cuts a little close and might draw blood and pain.

Occasionally I trimmed a branch that had a dead flower and a brand new bud on it and realized that sometimes you have to sacrifice something good along with the bad to get something even better – more new growth!

I love having this tangible reminder that if we accept the pruning, we have new growth to look forward to. Looking forward to what I’m going to learn this summer and where God is going to have me grow.

Stephanie is a stay-at-home / homeschooling mama to four wonderful munchkins, Noelle, Natalie, Betsy, and Ethan. She spends her days teaching addition and grammar and counting the minutes until her favorite person in the whole world comes home from work – her husband, Travis, who she has been married to for ten years. She writes on her blog, Simple Things, about daily life in a house of many littles, scrapbooking, and children’s literature (that she is reading to her children and that she is sneaking away and reading on her own because it’s that good). She writes to remind herself that every bit of her life, the happy and the hard, is made up of gifts from a good God and to be thankful for all of it and in the midst of all of it.

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