Informing thoughtful engagement with our culture and media.
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Hill Song UNITED is an Australian Christian band that by happen-stance, I ran into on the internet. I love the lyrics to the chorus of this song:
There was another in the fire
Standing next to me
There was another in the waters
Holding back the seas
And should I ever need reminding
Of how I've been set free
There's a cross that bears the burden
Where another died for me
An article from the Wall Street Journal looks at the rising suicide rates in this country that is hitting our younger generation hard. According to the CDC, for the age group of children 10 to 17, the overall suicide rate has increased 26% between the 2007-2017 time period. Dubbed, "death's of despair," this time period also coincides with the introduction of the I-Phone and the rising popularity of social media, although, not discussed in the article, this is a factor that should not be ignored. This article explores the cluster of suicide deaths in the small town of Harriman, Utah. A town of mostly Mormon believers, this was especially shocking to the townspeople and even caused them to reconsider the Mormon belief on suicide. Some common denominators amongst the victims: were the despair of not measuring up to the rigid standards of Mormonism, not fitting in with the "in crowd" at school, drug and alcohol use. So what is the take away for Christians from this article? One that comes to mind, is how important it is as parents, to establish a firm foundation in the faith for our children and pray for them always.
Click On the PDF file to read the article.
Attachment: One Teenager Killed Himself. Six More Followed. - WSJ.pdf
Hearts and Minds book store is a Christian mom and pop business located in Dallastown, PA., run by Byron Borger and his wife Beth. Byron reviews Christian books on a blog site that is a treasure house of information. I purchase books through his online service and have never been disappointed by any of his recommendations. Each order is accompanied by a friendly personal note, and the turn around time from order to doorstep is very quick. I have corresponded with him on several occasions, to pick his brain on books for our Men's Sunday AM Bible study or a particular topic I am personally interested in, and he is most helpful. So why am I telling you about this wonderful book store? Today's Blog on Lenten topics also features several children's books. One of them being the newest board book from the Baby Believer's series for Easter, whose series I talked about in in a previous posting. I love these books and this one would be a nice addition to your little one's Easter basket!