GodsView : The Rising Tide of Teen Dishonesty!

GodsView : The Rising Tide of Teen Dishonesty!: I always speak the truth and refuse to tell a lie. --Proverbs 8:7 (CEV) Some claim that the silly gesture of crossing your f...

The Rising Tide of Teen Dishonesty!

I always speak the truth and refuse to tell a lie. --Proverbs 8:7 (CEV)

Some claim that the silly gesture of crossing your fingers behind your back to cover up a lie originated with Roman persecution of Christians. To escape death, those who lied about their faith in Christ, just as Peter did, made the sign of the cross behind their back to ask God's forgiveness.
That sounds more like a fable to me, but it's a fact that teenagers today seem to be crossing their fingers behind their back more and more. They are cheating and stealing more, too. The latest Report Card on the Ethics of American Youth, by the Josephson Institute of Ethics, shows teens are lying more often and more easily than ever. The report indicates an increase in lying, cheating and stealing among youth since 2006, when the report was first published.
Forty-two percent of those surveyed said they lied recently for financial gain. Sixty-four percent said they cheated on a test during the past year, and 38% had cheated more than once. Eight-three percent said they had recently lied to their parents about something significant.
Concerning theft, 33% of the boys and 25% of the girls in the survey admitted to shoplifting in the past 12 months. Twenty-four percent said they had stolen something from a relative or parent in the same time period, and 20% had stolen something from a friend. Perhaps the most telling bit of data was that 93% said they are "satisfied with their personal ethics and character."
All teenage behavior, including dishonesty, has a motivating factor. Teens hope to get something out of everything they do. Some will cheat or lie to feel esteemed or to appear perfect at any cost. Some just need to feel that they are never wrong, so they lie to cover it up when they are. Some are untruthful because they fear the consequences from mom or dad for telling the truth. And as far as stealing, kids steal things because they feel entitled to own them, or for the thrill of getting away with it, or just to fit in with their peers.
Let's not overlook the way our culture glorifies all forms of dishonesty. It's difficult for one to think of an unimpeachably honest public figure today. Every day we hear of politicians, business leaders, sports figures, police, teachers and judges -- people whom we once looked up to as role models -- who have been caught in a lie or a cheat or a theft of some kind. And consider the explosion in popularity of so-called "reality" TV shows, whose plot and strategy are usually based on deception and lying in order to gain a monetary prize or fame. It's a far cry from the most popular TV shows in my teen years, like Bonanza, The Waltons, and Little House on the Prairie. They may have been corny at times, but they had recurring themes of honesty and good character.
The most popular form of entertainment for teens today is the Internet. Due to its anonymity, deception and fantasy are rife on the Internet. Parents should be concerned that such deception, what I call "digital courage," can spill over and fuel an attitude of deception in other areas of the teen's life. So, I tell parents to follow their instincts. Even if there is no obvious cause for concern, they should keep a wary eye on their teen's online surfing and make it a policy to know all of their teenager's web passwords. In fact, I recommend parents install good monitoring software to track all of their teen's Internet activity. Knowing that mom and dad are monitoring will go a long way toward keeping the teen honest in what they see, do and say on the Internet.
High academic expectations can also put a lot of pressure on a teen to cheat. Holding kids to unnecessarily high achievement standards can sometimes pressure them into getting a good grade at any cost. This and social stresses at school are more troubling for kids today than most parents realize. In fact, the Journal of Adolescent Health recently found that the stress of school keeps 68 percent of students awake at night, with 20 percent of them at least once a week. And of course, lack of sleep reduces their ability to think clearly and handle stress, so it becomes a vicious cycle. Could this be pushing more kids to cheat? Possibly.
Dishonesty may seem like a minor issue in comparison to other problems like drug abuse, sexual promiscuity and eating disorders, but it is a vice that parents should never ignore. Dishonesty is rooted in an attitude of disrespect; disrespect for others, disrespect for authority, disrespect for other people's things, disrespect for your family's values, and disrespect for oneself. If you ignore dishonest actions by your teen today, you may have to deal with bigger problems later. It won’t usually go away with the mere passage of time. It will reappear at significant stress points later in your child's life - when they go off to college, get a job, or get married. Getting away with lying, cheating or theft today can lead to a lifetime of dishonesty, and that can land them in real trouble or heartache in the future.
It reminds me of the story some parents recently told me of their immature 18-year-old who had to learn this lesson the hard way. While skateboarding, he and some friends spotted an abandoned, broken-down farm house nearby and decided to go exploring. The boys didn't know that the old house with no front door had recently been vandalized, nor that the neighbors were on the lookout. Taking some souvenirs of junk they found in the vacant house -- things worth no more than a few dollars -- they were putting them in the boy's vehicle when the Sheriff arrived. Long story short, the boy was arrested and charged with felony burglary of a building. Though given probation for his first offense, he learned how difficult it is to survive thereafter with a felony arrest record. No one would hire him for years to come, regardless of the less than sinister circumstances of the "burglary."
I've always said, "Life is hard, and harder if you’re stupid." Mistakes can cause a heap of trouble for both a teen and his parents, and many of those mistakes begin with some form of dishonesty or disrespect for normal boundaries. Since nothing is more central to a person's character than honesty, it is important to address dishonesty any time you discover it in your teen. Seek, search, and pry into areas you don't normally think about in order to uncover and understand the root of it. Do all you can to ensure your teen is truthful in even the smallest things. I tell kids, "If you lie, I will pry. If you hide something, I will seek the truth. If you steal, I'll make sure you suffer the legal and social consequences before your lying results in a life-long problem."
If you're a parent who sees dishonesty creeping into your teen's talk, texts or website; or if you learn they have cheated or stolen something, today is the day to expose and deal with it. Here are the steps I recommend taking:
1. Briefly describe the dishonest behavior.
2. Tell them how you feel about it and how it is counter to your values.
3. Affirm that you know they can do better.
4. Make them right the wrong, including confessing to whomever was wronged from the dishonesty, cheating or theft.
5. Enforce appropriate consequences and make sure they know that you will be on the lookout for any form of dishonesty in the future.
Parents need to "keep a vigilant eye" if they want to turn the rising tide of dishonesty. Call it an "alert mom or dad," or an "involved parent," if you will. Let your teen know that it is your job as a parent to keep your eyes wide open for dishonest behavior, not so you can "catch them doing wrong," but so that you can keep them from falling into that trap.
And by the way, be sure to model honesty yourself, and make it a habit to be truthful. If you think you've hidden dishonesty from them in the past, think again. Teens can read their parents like a book. They don't miss a thing and they detest hypocrisy. So, if you know you've been dishonest in front of your teen, ask their forgiveness, and give yourself some consequences for the bad behavior, so your teen knows how important it is to be honest. Teens need some good role models in regard to honesty. If not you, then who?

GodsView : Does Voting Make a Difference?

GodsView : Does Voting Make a Difference?: Perhaps I'd be more inclined to vote if I felt it would really make a difference, but I'm skeptical, to say the least. Can you gi...

Does Voting Make a Difference?

Perhaps I'd be more inclined to vote if I felt it would really make a difference, but I'm skeptical, to say the least. Can you give me any evidence that would convince me otherwise?

Our nation's recent political history is sprinkled with examples of when election outcomes hinged on a handful of votes. I recall former senator Bill Armstrong, who invested twenty-eight years of his life in public office, relating the story of his good friend Representative Lou Wyman's campaign. When Wyman ran for a Senate seat, he lost by twelve votes statewide. Other instances in which candidates squeaked through by the narrowest of margins include Averill Harriman's gubernatorial election in 1954, George McGovern's senatorial campaign in 1960, and John Warner's run for the Senate in 1978. All were decided by one vote or less per precinct.¹ And don't forget the Nixon/Kennedy electoral results of 1960; when the dust had settled, the presidential prize was awarded based on an average margin of only one-half vote per precinct nationwide.
Even when elections do not appear to be closely contested, it is a moral outrage that more Christians do not take their voting responsibilities seriously. If they did, this would be a very different nation, and a better one. But for reasons beyond my comprehension, evangelicals are either too involved, too preoccupied, or too disinterested to hold our elected officials accountable and keep our democracy on track.
Because so few citizens vote, many of us are unaware that a small minority actually dominates national politics (not to mention local elections). To illustrate, let's hypothesize that the country as a whole goes to the polls at the rate of ten out of every twenty people. If evangelicals stepped up their voting involvement to thirteen out of every twenty, instead of accounting for only 20 percent of the overall vote, their proportion of the votes cast would increase to nearly 25 percent. Did you know that if most of that additional 5 percent vote had been directed to the loser in four of the presidential elections that have taken place since World War II, it would have tipped the scales in favor of the loser?² And obviously, more is at stake than merely the influence of chief-executive policy for a four-year term--judicial appointments made by the president can directly impact our culture and our families for half a lifetime or more.
Your vote is crucial if we are to reintroduce the traditional, family-friendly values on which our nation was founded. A great member of the British Parliament, Edmund Burke, said something years ago that still resonates today: "All that is necessary for evil to prevail in the world is that good men do nothing."³ So get involved! The same Jesus who multiplied the young lad's loaves and fishes will be faithful to multiply the efforts of those of us who honor His name in the political arena.

GodsView : Why We Need to Teach Our Children About Gratitude!...

GodsView : Why We Need to Teach Our Children About Gratitude!...: One of the great privileges of my life has been visiting orphanages in places like Russia, China, and South Africa. Taking our children ...

Why We Need to Teach Our Children About Gratitude!

One of the great privileges of my life has been visiting orphanages in places like Russia, China, and South Africa. Taking our children to see those little ones who had no parents, no room of their own, no toys or clothes of their own was life changing. Through these many visits we learned that those who have little are often much more grateful than those of us who have much.
Gratitude is not natural. It is an attitude that must be taught and nurtured. And it is a task more difficult for parents in the West because of our abundance and prosperity.
There is a story in the Bible that is very hard for us to understand. It is the story of the Israelites being punished for ingratitude by wandering in a desert for 40 years. As a parent, I hated it when my children complained about what they had to eat or what they weren't allowed to wear that everyone else could wear or what they couldn't have. After all, didn't they know we were trying to do our best in raising them? We gave penalties for complaining and had them memorize Bible verses in hopes that they would get the point, but we never were as radical in our discipline as God was with His kids. I might have banished my children to their rooms for 30 minutes for complaining, but to be banished to a desert for 40 years seems a bit over the top!
Why did God make such a big deal about only a bad attitude?
I think because He understood better than we can possibly imagine how an ungrateful heart is really a proud heart, a heart of rebellion to the parent who is providing with love. Because children are born selfish, it is the parent's job to train their hearts to be grateful. It's not an easy task, but it's a worthy one, for a child with a thankful heart is a delight to parents and to others. And I'm quite sure our Father in heaven will be smiling as well, on your child and on you for a job well done.

GodsView : God's Secret Agents!

GodsView : God's Secret Agents!: It seems that Americans today are fascinated by the concept of angels, depicting them in everything from jewelry and Christmas decoratio...

God's Secret Agents!

It seems that Americans today are fascinated by the concept of angels, depicting them in everything from jewelry and Christmas decorations to movies and television programs.
A poll conducted by Time magazine in 1993 reported that 69 percent of American adults believed in the existence of angels, and 46 percent felt they had their own guardian angel. Also, 32 percent claimed to have felt an angelic presence at some time in their lives.
In addition, a 2000 poll conducted by the Barna Research Group of Ventura, California, found that 81 percent of adults polled said they believed that "angels exist and influence people's lives."
But is it correct to assume that angels are the nonthreatening, loving beings that many people believe them to be? That all depends.
We find instances in the Bible when angels were sent to deliver specific messages from God. They often began their messages with phrases like "Do not be afraid," or "Do not fear."
But we also find instances in which God used angels to execute His judgment, as in the case of Sodom and Gomorrah and elsewhere.
Generally, God's angels operate undercover. They don't draw attention to themselves, but instead carry out God's assignments.
One reason we may not recognize the presence of angels in our lives is because they are doing their jobs properly. Angels are actively involved in the lives of the people of God, and even in the affairs of people in general. They have a specific function and ministry in the lives of Christians.
The Bible says in Psalm 34:7, "The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them" (NKJV). Hebrews 1:14 says of angels, "Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?" (NKJV).
It is even possible that you have personally met an angel. Hebrews 13:2 teaches, "Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels" (NKJV).
It is amazing to think that some of us may have communicated with an angel, but were unaware of it. Angels are nearer than we may realize.
If an angel of God were to appear before you right now, you would stand in awe because angels are very beautiful. When we read biblical accounts of people who encountered angels, they were often overwhelmed by the glory and beauty of them.
Still, angels remain invisible most of the time, except on very special occasions when God sends them on a unique mission or clothes them in human form.
Contrary to what some have been led to believe, angels are not deceased human beings who are trying to earn their wings. Also, when someone dies, their friends or loved ones may say that person is now an angel who watches over them. However, this is not true.
When people say that someone who has died now helps them or guides them or their presence is felt, it is not true. People who have gone from this life into eternity do not communicate with us. They do not comfort us. They do not guide us. Certainly, they do not turn into angels. Angels are an altogether unique group created by God.
Also contrary to what some people have attempted to do, it is incorrect to attempt communication with an angel, to try to pray to an angel, or to specifically develop a relationship with an angel. We find in Scripture that the focus is on praying to God, looking to God, and developing a relationship with God.
Yes, God does work through angels, but that is not the point. The point is that it is God who is doing it.
We don't know how many times angels have been working behind the scenes, how many times they have delivered us, helped us out of tight situations, or intervened on our behalf. Angels are all around us, taking care of us and ministering to us, even when we are not aware of their presence. This certainly gives hope in these troubled, dangerous times in which we are living.
When we think of all of the violence and chaos and danger in the world today, it is comforting to know that God's angels are watching out for us. They may not help you find a parking space or make your casseroles more flavorful, but you can be certain that angels are God's secret agents, powerfully and effectively doing the work He has called them to do.