What do you do when your child/teen wants to watch a movie or read a book that you aren’t sure about?
How do you keep current with what your child/teen is being exposed to culturally?
What are my favorite websites for Christian parenting help or Christian content in general?

I’ll share my favorites and would love to hear yours!

Movies/TV/Music/Games/Books:
www.pluggedin.com
This Focus on the Family resource is my go-to whenever I’m not sure about the something my kids want to see or read.  I appreciate that after the general review, it gives a break-down of questionable content.  That way, I can make an informed decision rather than just “judging a book by it’s cover” or hearsay.

Keeping up with the times:
www.axis.org/ct/
This newsletter has been invaluable to me as I get a weekly heads up on what’s hot, current social media trends, music, etc.  It comes from a Christian perspective and often gives suggestions of how to dialogue with your kids about the topics.  It helps me not be “as” clueless.

Parenting advice:
www.christianparenting.org
This wonderful site categorizes parenting helps by age and by topic.  That way, you can quickly narrow down what you are looking for or just browse to do some “continuing ed” type training for your parenting skills.  I also recommend subscribing to the weekly newsletter.  You will get links for timely articles, helpful tips, and nuggets of parenting wisdom.

Shameless plugs…
Topical Bible verses for parents as dilemmas pop up –
Of course the best advice comes from God’s word!  That’s why I compiled topical verses into a quick and easy to use (only 2 pages per topic!) reference.  Hopefully, the combination of Scripture, discussion questions, take action ideas, and parenting tips (that I gleaned from watching other godly parents) will help you with those tricky teachable moments!  The beginning of the book gives you a simple how-to guide for creating and capturing teachable moments.  Grab your copy of Parenting with Scripture: A Topical Guide for Teachable Moments to help you bring more of God’s Word into your daily lives.

“Categories “list down right side of PWS blog –
I certainly never claim to be an expert on parenting…quite the opposite!  I’m learning and praying as I go just like every other mommy!  However, since I’ve blogged about a wide variety of topics, you might find what you are looking for by scanning down the categories list that runs down the right side of my blog page at www.parentingwithscripture.com.  I’m type A, so it’s quite a drilled down way to quickly look at what topics I’ve covered. 

Christian Media Resource:
www.rightnowmedia.org
Many churches, including mine, are using this site as our digital library.  It is an understatement to say that it’s a wealth of media for equipping  Christian families and Christian programming for kids.  Click on the link and watch the 1 minute video to learn more.  Pass it along to your church staff if you think your church would be interested, and so that your church families can be blessed by access to it.   

Hope you find this list of resources as helpful as I do! 
I’d love to hear your “go-to” sources.   Please share!

Anyone else’s family enthralled by the athletic competition show American Ninja Warrior?  Together we marvel at the strength of the competitors and are inspired by many of the back stories.

Last Monday, area finalist Geoffrey Motil shared how he made bad mistakes through his 20s and 30s.  However, he went on to say,  “I’ve transformed all these horrible decisions into being honest…it’s on to a new road!” Woohoo!  Durbins were set to cheer him on after that clip!

He had barely begun the first obstacle when we saw him climbing out of the course, thereby disqualifying himself.

What?!  Nobody, including the commentators, could figure out what had happened.

Geoffrey walked straight up to the interviewer and explained that he grabbed on to the back of one of the boards, an illegal move.  In keeping with his desire to live honestly, he immediately jumped out of the course.

He said, “I know what I did.  I’m not gonna cheat.”  The commentator later replied, “Truly an honorable move by the competitor!” 

If you wish to see the clip, click here.  Then, fast forward to the time count of 14 minutes.

Here’s what stood out to us as we discussed this man’s actions –
*Did he keep going and hope that nobody would notice?
*How would he have felt if he had kept going and made it through to the next round?
*How long did it take him to make a right or wrong decision?
                   Split-second!  His heart clearly desires to do what is right!
*How many people would have done what he did?
*What would you have done?

Tips for Teachable Moments:
Remember that you can always expand and follow up on teachable moments later.  In the moment, I paused the episode and we discussed it briefly.  However, it wasn’t until a couple of days later that I followed up with adding in the value what God has to say about that man’s choices.  Don’t let the timing keep you from making the most of it!

Remember to grab your copy of Parenting with Scripture: a Topical Guide for Teachable Moments to help you find verses when something like this comes up!

WOW….SO MANY great Scriptural lessons and principles can come from this real-life example!
Here are just a few:

From the topic “Honesty” – page 122
Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much,
and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.
Luke 16:10
Discussion: How trustworthy do you think this man is?  Why?

From the topic “Character” – page 38
Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
1 Corinthians 15:33
Discussion:  Would someone like this be a good or bad friend to have?  Why?

From the topic “Integrity” – page 132
The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.
Proverbs 10:9
Discussion:  What are the results of the actions he took?
What would have been the results of his actions if he had kept going?

From the topic “Example” – page 86
In everything set them an example by doing what is good.
Titus 2:7
Discussion:  Is he a good example?
Is being a good example always easy?
Who would you admire more… him or someone who won dishonestly?  Why?

Praying the Scripture:
After our discussion about the related verses, we prayed through the verses asking for God’s help with each topic.  I also added a petition for our Heavenly Father to help each of our hearts be ready to glorify Him in split second decisions through all our actions and words. 

**Disclaimer**
I reminded my kids that we know nothing about this man other that we’ve seen on this show.
We talked about how you can’t necessarily believe everything you see in the media, but that we hope it’s true.  Even so, we talked about how everyone is human.
Therefore, we should be careful not to put any person on a pedestal because none of us are perfect.
That’s why our eyes should always remain on our Savior.

Take Action!
Teachable moments are all around, especially through media, if we just keep our eyes, ears, and minds open to them.

Are you ready to tackle parenting with Scripture like an American Ninja Warrior?
With our Savior’s help, we will make it to the finals! 

Pray for opportunities,
keep Parenting with Scripture: a Topical Guide for Teachable Moments on hand
to quickly and easily find  Scripture to fit the teachable moment topic,
and
enjoy the fruit of helping your kids connect God’s Word to their world!

Clicking on the picture will take you to NBC’s American Ninja Warrior Site.

Different forms of media offer a wealth of teachable moment for parenting with Scripture.  Be on the lookout when watching movies, reading books, listening to music, seeing billboards while driving, etc.   Here are a few media related excerpts from Parenting with Scripture to get you thinking.

Soul Surfer – From the “Take Action section under the topic Revenge.
Make “Overcome evil with good” your motto (Romans 12:21).  When people wrong you, look for ways to surprise them with kindness.  By reacting this way, you will be ministering to others when they least expect it and in a way that will certainly catch their attention.  The movie Soul Surfer offers a great example of this.  Watch how Bethany reacts to Malina’s unkindness, and see how Malina is influenced by Bethany’s response by the end of the movie.

Sound of Music – From the “Take Action” section under the topic Confidence.
Watch the classic movie The Sound of Music and discuss the song “I Have Confidence” sung by the character Maria.  It is near the beginning of the movie when Maria leaves the abbey to become a governess.

Yertle the Turtle – From the “Discussion” section under the topic Conceitedness.
Can you feel that you are special without being conceited or snobby?
*How can you find a balance between the two?
Find a copy of Yertle the Turtle by Dr. Seuss, and read it together.
*How was Yertle conceited?  Read Romans 12:16b
*Read 2 Corinthians 12:7.  What was Yertle’s “thorn in his flesh” that kept him from becoming conceited?
How does this story related to you?
*Is there anyone you “step on” to get what you want?
*Is there anyone you have been putting down or thinking yourself better than?  See Galatians 5:26
*Have you been snobby about a particular think you do well?  Read Jeremiah 13:15
*Do you have a “thorn in your flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7)?
*Have you been a victim of someone else’s conceitedness?  Look up and read Psalm 119:21 and Psalm 119:51.

Aesop’s Fable – The Boy Who Cried Wolf – From the “Take Action” section under the topic Honesty.
Online or at the library, find a copy of Aesop’s fable “The Boy Who Cried Wolf.”  Read the story and interject questions throughout the reading.  For example:  After each time the boy cries wolf, ask what your child would do if he were a townsperson.  At the end, ask if he feels sorry for the boy.  Why or why not?
(Refer to a copy of Parenting with Scripture for verses and discussion questions related to honesty.)