Can I trust my kids with Barney

Yes, you know who I’m talking about. The pink dinosaur so many millions of children have grown to love.

The perfect and problem free world of Barney

You can call me paranoid but my spider-sense is tingling regarding this ancient predator-turned-friendly dinosaur (he’s a Tyrannasaurus Rex, by the way, the cute dino that just happend to tear a guy in half in Jurrasic Park). To be fair, I’m not only wary of this guy, but also anything that wildly popular in society, which is also popular among Christians. My bible teaches me that there’s little agreement with what’s fun in the world (which is controlled by Satan), and what pleases God, and Satan’s no.1 mission is to drag people away from God.

So when so many Christians don’t give a second thought about letting their children watch Barney (and I was one of them!) I just thought of taking a more critical look.

It’s hard to get past Barneys giggles and his friends’ bad acting, but maybe as Christian parents we should try to get ‘inside the Barney suit’ and see if the values being promoted in Barney videos are in agreement with the bible?

I can already hear some Christian parents coming to Barney’s defence, maybe saying “what’s the harm with some humour and good morals and silly sing-alongs?”

I guess not much. I mean, can anyone out do Larry the Cucumber in Vegetables for his silly songs? But try this for an example:

I was listening to the first song on Titus’s Barney VCD. They had all been invited to a party and they wanted to have a good time. So, Barney starts of in a song that goes

Oh Mr. Sun. Sun. Mr. golden sun. Please shine down on me.
Oh Mr. Sun. Sun. Mr. golden sun. Hiding behind a tree.
These little children are asking you. To please come out so we can play with you.
Oh Mr. Sun. Sun. Mr. golden sun. Please shine down on me.

I’m just not comfortable with some guy in a dino suit teaching my son to sing to the sun. I would never to do that, and I would never teach him to pray to the sun, rain, trees or anything that is part of God’s creation. Mankind was created in God’s image, and with that was the ability to be aware of the True and Living God. It is to Him we should be praying to.

Not only that, you may or may not know of the occult deception of ‘mother earth worship’, where children and people are being taught that the Earth has feelings, emotion can feel pain and has a personality, and has energies that we as humans can ‘tap into’. The Egyptians prayed to the Sun (ra), and various elements of the earth and this is being heavily taught in today through the new age movement. The Emergent church is also embracing this ‘earth and self-centric’ spirituality as it liberates them from the confines of the Word of God. So singing a song to sun does not seem so ‘harmless’ now, does it?

There’s another song that goes “You can count on me.”

Sorry Barney, but the Bible teaches that I should put my trust in God, and not man (let alone a T-Rex with good intentions!)

The other thing I’m not comfortable with is the way Barney ‘evades’ real issues, and problems with ‘positive thinking’. Positive thinking is the unbiblical psychology of “all things are possible with me” instead of the biblical “all things are possible with God”.

Turns out I’m not the only one with some concerns, I found article written a someone who’s not a christian and was written at a time when web pages were still written in plain HTML! Here are some excerpts:

What’s so dangerous about Barney? In a word, denial: the refusal to recognize the existence of unpleasant realities. For along with his steady diet of giggles and unconditional love, Barney offers our children a one-dimensional world where everyone must be happy and everything must be resolved right away.

…

His often manic attempts to rescue a youngster from distress (“What can we do to make Kathy happy?” “Are you still scared?”) teach his young audience to resist or flee painful emotions, an approach that only guarantees their persistence.

Full article here

So I’m just sharing my concerns as a Christian parent, be aware, very aware, not just of Barney, but of anything thing, person and media your child is being exposed to on a regular basis.

Discernment is important, watch what your kids watch (even if its really annoying to your adult mind), and if you see anything that needs explaining from a biblical point of view, explain it to them. Let them sing the other songs if they don’t collide with biblical teachings, but where they do collide, gently tell your kids to not sing them.

p/s: someone suggested that the Montessory syllabus has new age teachings in it, but I haven’t confirmed this. Let me know if you can substantiate that claim.

Home schooling anyone?

Learning from Kickdefella

There are more homeless people on the street than we would like to believe

reading his post detention post, i was most encouraged by this statement:

Of course I do not anticipate Ramadan Buffet during this holiday as that will be a sin for me because those people whom I fight for, never ever even heard the word buffet, leave aside imagining about it in their life’s

Yes, that statement of his really hurt the ego of the hypocritical bigot in me. Many times I claim to have sympathy and concern for the less fortunate, but I not sure of whether I would give up my comforts in an effort to identify and be ‘as one of them’.

I have to thank kickdefella for reminding me of what Jesus has done for all of mankind. Sacrificing His glory. Taking on the human flesh. Dying on the cross to make possible the forgiveness of sins to all who would believe in Him. What condescension!

For your meditation:

Now if a brother or a sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one from amongst you say to them, Go in peace, be warmed and filled; but give not to them the needful things for the body, what is the profit? So also faith, if it have not works, is dead by itself. (James 2:15-17)

For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that for your sakes he, being rich, became poor, in order that *ye* by *his* poverty might be enriched.
(II Corinthians 8:9)

Why I won’t get Olympic Games fever

A sculpture signifying the torch run at the beijing olympic complex

The world is crazy with Olympic fever. This olympics makes it the most expensive ever. The opening ceremony was among the most elaborate and grandest ever had.

Many countries in the world will be keeping their eyes peeled on the medal tallies. Huge rewards are being offered to sportsmen and sportswomen who excel and bring home honour to the country.

So what’s the hype?

I’m just listing here some reasons why I don’t think much of the Olympics…

The ‘ancient’ Olympics

Though unconfirmed, the Olympic games was started with some roots in Greek mythology. Heracles started it in tribute to his father Zeus, king of the gods, god of thunder and sky. I don’t believe in Greek gods because my bible tells me

And this is the eternal life, that they should know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.
(John 17:3)

Jesus prayed to Father saying He’s the ONLY – the exclusive and only one rightful to be called, TRUE – the ‘real’ and true God. All other ‘gods’ are counterfeits and have no truth in them. They are given the position of god, but they have no divine nature. No divine power. No divine glory.

So to take a keen interest in an event that was established with the purpose to glorify a man (though the Greeks consider him a god), is pointless to me. The time I spend, I’d rather use to the glory of the true and living God.

And everything, whatever ye may do in word or in deed, do all things in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father by him.
(Colossians 3:17)

The ‘revived’ Olympics

When Pierre de Courbertin wanted to revive the Olympics in 19th century, his motivation was to

1. Help the French become more athletic

2. Get young men from all over the world to unite in sport, rather than clash in war.

Noble reasons. But what has been achieved in the past 2 centuries?

Have there been less wars? No. In fact the 2 world wars still happened after the Olympics was revived.

Has there been more unity? No. Countries have learn to be more diplomatic, but in reality, none trust their own neighbor. I can’t remember the year, but there was one Olympics where a bomb blew in one of the complexes and 100+ people got injured. It was a terrorist attack. This year, there was huge Tibet-China skirmishes in the wake of the Olympics and jeopardized the torch run in several stages.

Someone has defined madness as “doing the same thing repeatedly, but expecting different results”. In the same vein, so many Olympics have been held with the hope of the holy grail of peace and unity in the world. The Olympics has clearly not acheived its purposes. So why do it? I suggest some reasons:

1. Financial gain.

With the huge investment countries in hosting such games, come also huge sponsorship and stake holder investment deals. For 2008 Beijing Olympics, more than 2billion is expected to come back to the government in just investors coming to take stakes in the infrastructure build. How that’s going to make up for the 43billion spent since 2001, i don’t know.

2. Human pride

In the ancient Olympics, only men (the stronger sex) were allowed to participate, and they had to compete completely nude. The reason was to celebrate the strength and ability of the human body. Nothing has changed much since then. In over 2 centuries, the only improvement was instead of being nude, they wear tight fitting lycra bodysuits which cleave to every curve and crease. All in the name of aerodynamics. Rubbish.

My bible tells me

And God looked upon the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted its way on the earth.
(Genesis 6:12)

…It is sown in corruption…it is sown dishonour…it is sown a natural body…(1Cor15:42-43)

The human body has a problem. It has a nature that has the propensity and ability to dishonour, disregard and disobey God. Why celebrate it? The fastest athlete and the crippled man end in the same place, the grave. The strongest human and the weakest beggar end in the same place, the grave.

Men like to boast. Among the driving factors of the Olympics, is competition, success, name, fame and glory.

Should I glory then in men?

But now ye glory in your vauntings: all such glorying is evil.
(James 4:16)
…so as to be a boast for me in Christ’s day, that I have not run in vain nor laboured in vain.
(Philippians 2:16)
But he that boasts, let him boast in the Lord.
(II Corinthians 10:17)

When I consider the glory of the One who died and gave Himself for me, and today expects that I give my all to him, I have no interest in partaking in the glorification of man.

Yup, this Olympics, I’ll be the party pooper.

When getting killed by a train is easier

Easier.

I was feeling very sad. Hopeless.

I knew that people living with HIV were social outcasts, because they would die very quickly. I was in shock. I was now in that group. I asked myself, now what? Where will I get drugs? Will I marry, have kids? I couldn’t sleep.

I walked along the railway line in Kibera thinking it would be best to be killed by a train. That would be the end and people would say that Charles died because he was hit by a train, not Aids. It would be an easier way to die.

Its easy to ‘categorize’, ‘generalize’ and ‘comparmentalize’ our perceptions of people. Especially when we don’t understand them.

Someone once explained the ability to have compassion as “being able to put yourselves into the shoes of the sufferer, and feeling the pain he feels”.

I think this is so important as we relate to those around us, especially if they are less fortunate than us.

My parents were never divorced, but I have a number of friends who do. I have a particularly close friend, who now has 3 women claiming the title ‘mama’ in his life. He was willing to open and let me into his family history and share with me how it feels and struggles. I think the conversation we had was one of the more meaningful and substantial conversations we ever had. Thanks, friend.

I don’t have any friends who have HIV, and I’ve always wondered, what would I ask him about his sickness? Not that I can’t have a normal conversation with him, but I really want to get an insight into his life? to understand his struggles, if any. To discover what gives him joy, if any. To share his outlook on life. To prepare myself that I may intercede at the throne of grace more intelligently. I want to listen, learn and feel.

So when I came across this photo journal, and the title for this entry was ‘Easier’, I tried putting myself into his shoes, they fit easily, but I could not keep them in. I had to remove them. The sting was too sharp. I was at a loss of words. Helpless.

And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things. (Mark 6:34)

Lord Jesus, give me the grace to love You do. Help me to be filled with compassion, as You were.

Photo journal: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/05/africa_my_life_with_hiv/html/4.stm

Emergency phone numbers

Received this in the email:

Emergency Telephone Numbers
These are more effective than 911
When -
You are sad, phone John 14
You have sinned, phone Psalm 51
You are facing danger, phone Psalm 91
People have failed you, phone Psalm 27< /A>
It feels as though God is far from you, phone Psalm 139
Your faith needs stimulation, phone < /B>Hebrews 11
You are alone and scared, phone Psalm 23
You are worried, phone Matthew 8:19-34
You are hurt and critical, phone 1 Corinthians 13
You wonder about Christianity, phone 2 Corinthians 5:15-18
You feel like an outcast, phone Romans 8:31-39
You are seeking peace, phone Matthew 11:25-30
It feels as if the world is b igger than God, phone Psalm 90
You need Christ like insurance, phone Romans 8:1-30
You are leaving home for a trip , phone < /I>Psalm 121
You are praying for yourself, phone Psalm 87
You require courage for a task, phone Joshua 1
Inflation’s and investments are hogging your thoughts, phone M ark 10:17-31
You are depressive, phone Psalm 27
Your bank account is empty, phone Psalm 37
You lose faith in mankind, phone 1 Corinthians 13
It looks like people are unfriendly, phone John 15
You are losing hope, phone Psalm 126
You feel the world is small comp ared to you, phone Psalm 19
You want to carry fruit, phone John 15
Paul’s secret for happiness, phone Colossians 3:12-17
With big opportunity/ discovery, phone Isaiah 55
To get along with other people, phone Romans 12
ALTERNATE NUMBERS
For dealing with fear, call Psalm 47
For security, call Psalm 121:3
For assurance, call Mark 8:35
For reassurance, call Psalm 145:18
ALL THESE NUMBERS MAY BE PHONED DIRECTLY.
NO OPERATOR ASSISTANCE IS NECESSARY.
ALL LINES TO HEAVEN ARE AVAILABLE 24 HOURS A DAY.