By Lisa Cherry

Times are changing in America. Watch the evening news and you will see stories such as the  high school track team  that was disqualified from advancing to state championship after one member pointed toward heaven. What is happening? In a word.....persecution.

All be it, the persecution or pressure we are experiencing does not in any way match the level of pressure faced by our brothers and sisters around the globe, but nevertheless it is very real.  

It is no longer considered politically correct or lovingly polite to stand on traditional Christian values. And our children must be equipped to stand if they are to make it through the cultural flood of dissipation.

Over the last month our 17 year old daughter Hannah has experienced firsthand some persecution for her faith. What started out as a simple English class at our community college, turned into an opportunity for her to stand for Jesus.

Hannah is a very diligent student who completes her assignments with great care. Her instructor was a very thoughtful and hard-working teacher who took great care to hone the students’  writing skills. All seemed to be going well for the class until the teacher made her final assignment of an eight page persuasive research paper.

The teacher asked her students to pick from a narrow list of banned or censored writing works and argue whether the online or print works should be censored in their respective domains.  Most of the teacher's topics had something to do with the issue of homosexuality. And after careful consideration, Hannah chose the bookcalled King and King, a book for 5-8 year olds which was on a banned list from many schools in America.

Knowing she would need to argue against a book depicting two homosexual princes kissing and marrying, Hannah was nervous from the start of the assignment. "Mom, what if my teacher does not like my Christian view?" she asked me.

I assured her that a clear, well-documented paper was what the teacher seemed to be asking for. I urged her to walk in confidence as I figured (wrongly) that the teacher was expecting papers on both sides of these controversial issues.

Thus began a very trying month for my high school junior.

As Hannah completed the early phases of the research, I became increasingly alarmed by the comments coming back on the teacher's notes. It became evident that her teacher was no longer just commenting on sentence structure and research citation.  She clearly was out to change Hannah's reasoning points...by a non-disguised form of criticism and intimidation.

How would my strongly opinionated, faith-filled, high achieving daughter handle the fact that her grade for her first semester of college level work was on the line? That will be the subject of this series of posts. For what I witnessed coming toward my daughter was truly astounding. No wonder we are losing so many of our kids!!

Are you and your children ready to handle the increasing wave of pressure heading our way? Tune in over the next week as I share Hannah's story and how we as parents helped her through this challenging experience!

Gratefully linked to:

The Modest Mom Blog

By Lisa Cherry

Last Sunday, I was very grateful to be finished with our tour, and to have been on my regular post at home.

Micah, our 15 year old, awoke before church complaining of an odd abdominal pain. I must confess my years of mothering experience caused me to go into auto mode. Probably gas or a bug coming on. No big deal. Just wait it out.

Well....a few hours later with a right-sided, bent-over boy and I wasn't too interested in waiting it out!

Ten kids but our first appendectomy. I have to say, Micah was a champ! No complaining. No drama. Just guts. No pun intended.

Isn't modern medicine a miracle?! Another era, another part of the world......and Micah could have not been here with us!

Thank you God!

Will you join me in prayer today for the thousands and thousands of mothers and fathers who do not have access to good medical care for their children?

photo courtesy LaDeon

Last week the news was filled with discussions about the NBA player who came out of the closet about his gay lifestyle. Many hailed his announcement as an act of heroism. Heroism? Courage? Is this our new definition? Wow, is this what we want our kids to absorb?

Parents, over the ages heroes have been carefully sowed into kids' upbringing as we wanted to inspire them to aim for greatness. What happened to this concept???

Today, as I present to you Rear Admiral Lee's story from last week, I urge you....take back the heroes in your home!!

7 Ways to Replace Bad Role Models

1. Make a clear statement

Our kids need to hear your definition of a real hero. Such as ....."John, it is important for you to be watching out for counterfeits in our modern world. Counterfeit Heroes are all around us. I am going to be pointing out to you in the coming days examples of real heroes that are worthy of imitation in our lives."

2. Ask them to help you identify today's heroes.

"We are going to continue our family's discovery of honorable heroes. Will you please help me find them? Literature, real life, the news.....wherever we see them, let's share them with each other. This week at dinner, come with a few examples."

3. Use Psalm 12:8, Isaiah 5: 20-21, and Proverbs 10:23 as teaching standards.

As the world continues to hold up media images before our kids as the "cool ones" worthy of imitation, we will need to hold up God's principles as the image of heroism!  How do the pop stars lives compare to these scriptures?

4.  Look for movies of great Christian Heroes and have a family movie night (yes, even with teens!)

We have had family movie night tradition for over 12 years. It can work and it can allow you to sow in worthwhile flics. Suggestions:

5.  Read aloud sections of the most radical hero book of all time:  Foxe's Book of Martyrs (or get Kindle version)

6. Read aloud the classic book that has inspired mature believers for hundreds of years: Pilgrim's Progress (or get the free Kindle version here)

7. Hold up role models who are living valiantly for Jesus at a young age.

We can find teens and young adults around us who have NOT caved into the craziness of our world!
Who do you know?

For more stories of modern heroes of the faith, check out the ministry Voice of the Martyrs.

By: Kalyn Cherry Waller
 
 
Have you ever had a heated discussion in your home about wardrobe choices? I know in my teen years, clothing became a source of regular disagreements between my parents and me. Often times, it became a downright ugly scene, ending with misunderstandings, hurt feelings, and rebellion mixed all together.
 
Many times there is such a disconnect between a parent's wisdom and a teen's desire to fit in, that common ground is hard to find.
 
If just the word "modesty" brings tension in your home, I encourage you not to give up on the issue. It is a hard topic, filled with sensitivities. But I believe God is able to help you guide your teen through clothing choices and even have the courage to draw the lines where the lines need drawn. I am very thankful my parents did just that!
 
Here is a great resource to help you get the conversation started:
 
http://www.therebelution.com/modestysurvey/

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Right now we are offering our POTTS (Parents of Teens and Tweens) subscription for $15 instead of $20.  This is an annual subscription that includes ongoing support and monthly videos to help in your parenting journey.  The kit includes (1) Stick book, (1) 4-part DVD curriculum, Monthly Video Sessions, and Support from POTTS. You can find out more about our POTTS ministry HERE.

Losing a baby surely is one of the more difficult experiences of life. As my daughter Kalyn and her husband Adam recently suffered the loss of their preborn baby Kate, our family entered into a journey thru grief (What Esther Kate Taught Her Grammy) that is continuing to draw our hearts closer to the one who is holding our little baby Kate now.

We have been blessed to hear from so many of you as you have prayed and supported us through this season. Today, I am pleased to announce that the Lord is already beginning to use this experience for His own glory. Recently Kalyn began sharing her story, her thoughts and her new experiences with her Heavenly Father on a new blog called Mommy's Heavenly Dream.

Last Friday's post was so helpful for everyone's spiritual walk, I had to share it with you. Wow, our God can take every tragic experience in life and work it together for good!

Perhaps you know someone who is/has suffered a pregnancy loss or is walking through some other sea of grief. This blog could be a real treasure for them. As a mom supporting a grieving family, I am learning so much.

Thanks Kalyn for allowing us to take a peak inside your heart ....... We see the power of Jesus and are so blessed!

The Hands Sustaining Me - The following is an excerpt from my spiritual journal…

March 29, 2013

Waking from a nap with a start, I am disoriented once again, and shaking physically.  I thought from being cold, but probably from the disturbing dreams again. My body feels like lead as I get up and go to pick up Kyla from her crib in the other room.  As I go to feed her lunch my thoughts are interrupted by a word.

Sustain.

It comes to me as my soul feels like it is giving way and my mind is exhausted.

I felt impressed to do a Bible study on the word.  I wanted to find a verse to meditate on where God is described as the sustainer. This is the first one that jumped out: (read the rest HERE)

You can read more about Esther's story

Esther's Story Part One - November 24, 2012 was one of the best days of my life. It was the day we found out we were expecting our second child. Ironically, it was November 24, 2010 we had discovered we were expecting our first daughter, Kyla! We knew this wasn’t coincidence. God was bringing this second child into our family at just the right time and we felt so very blessed. (continue reading. . .)