http://www.commonsensemedia.org/music-and-your-kids-tips#
This is a very practical video presentation with a series of articles that you might find helpful when it comes to the music your kids are listening to.
Filed under: Reflections
I love the tradition of New Year’s Day…one last chance to be together with friends, another excuse to eat good food, and time to find hopeful insights for the coming year. In 1752 the Puritans created the idea of “New Year’s Day celebration,” using it as a time reflect over the events of the past year. Each year comes with its own excitement and disappointment, and it is good to step back for a minute and process the events that took place. Through our reflection we find the good that came out of hard situations, we see prayers answered, and we see how God’s hand took us through another year. This year was extremely important for me as I looked back over a hard year. I have never experienced this much change in the span of a year that affected me as deeply as these changes have….Brian and Jessica leaving, moving into a new house, Ashley, Kathryn, and Waverly arriving, the loss of Anna Beth, the list goes on. I’m sure you have a list that is similar to mine and what is the thing we all have in common? Everything changes. Our world changes rapidly, our personal lives change, and suddenly we long for a resting place, a quiet solace. That is when I thought about a short sentence that echoes at the end of the Old Testament. In Malachi 3:6 is says, “I the Lord do not change.” Period. Those words washed over me as I read them New Year’s Day. What a comfort to know that He who holds this all in balance is trustworthy and unchangeable. In this midst of our uncertainty, we know the promises and character of our Lord and that is the ONE thing that will never change. I challenge you to reflect back on your year and may you know God’s grace, mercy, peace, and everlasting love in 2009.
Filed under: Announcements
We will be having a lock-in this Sunday night through Monday morning. Guests are welcome. Major activities will include: airsoft war (eye protection required), capture the flag, pigging out, a select assortment of cinematic entertainment, brain-rotting video games, soul-inspiring devotional time, memory making, and relationship building.
Here’s the facts:
- Start time is 5pm Sunday the 18th.
- Pick-up time is 7am Monday the 19th (hey, if Susan and I can stay up ALL NIGHT you can come pick them up early!)
- Don’t bother to bring movies Susan and I will have all the movies we need. If you want a list of the specific movie options we have picked out, email me.
- DO bring your favorite video games along with whatever console and hardware you need to play said games. Games should be rated “T” or lower. Ashley and Susan have final veto power over which games will be played.
- Bring your favorite snack and deserts. We will provided dinner and drinks the rest is up to you.
- Bring your airsoft gear. Safety glasses are required. You will not be allowed to play with out goggles. I will have some ammo but if your gun requires a specific weight pellet you need to bring your own ammo.
- Bring a sleeping bag and pillow. (Yeah right!)
I think that covers it. Call me if you have any questions.
Filed under: Announcements
Ornament Blow!
Cal called this week and invited us to come blow some ornaments at his place Friday after school! Only about 6 of us could actually blow an ornament but it would still be fun to go and hang out up there. The ornaments we make will be given to Anna Beth. Come to the church at 3:30pm on Friday (if you need a ride call Ashley or Susan, or if you want us to pick you up from school we can do that too). The ornament blowing is free but you will need money for dinner at Zaxby’s and a movie (Bolt) afterwards.
Caroling and Christmastravaganza Party!
This Saturday night meet at the church at 4 pm. We will be caroling at the Sr. Center until around 6pm. After caroling, we will head to the Dempsey’s for the massive Christmastravaganza! Prizes will be awarded for the ugliest Christmas sweater (you must wear the sweater for the entire evening) and for the finder(s) of the MSS.* Bring a $10 gift for dirty Santa and a desert dish to share. Parents, plan on picking up your students from the Dempsey’s at 9pm.
* Assuming the stone has been found and has not been stolen by the Forces of Evil.
Filed under: Uncategorized
Well, really there’s just one event that’s kind of like two rolled into one. Saturday December 20th is the big Youth Christmas Party! We will meet at the church at 4pm and go caroling before heading to Billy and Debbie Dempsey’s house for the party. Plan on picking up your students at 9pm from the Dempsey’s. We will be playing “dirty Santa” this year so everyone that wishes to play needs to bring a gift to trade ($10 max!). We will also have a prize for the ugliest Christmas sweater (First Prize: $10 Wal-mart gift card).
You may catch wind of another contest we are doing this year: The Magical Stone of Santa! Santa’s obnoxious elves have hidden the Magical Stone of Santa somewhere within the Fort Payne City limits. It is up to the students to find this stone and return it to me on the night of the Christmas Party. Clues have been posted on the Youth Group’s Facebook page and may turn up in various places around the church. The prize for the one who returns the Stone to me on time is $40 in Wal-mart Gift Cards. The Students have been encouraged to work together to find the stone.
Filed under: Games
Christmas is coming. I know we’re not yet past Halloween and Thanksgiving seems a long way off, but trust me, your kids have Christmas on the brain. If you have kids that play video games they might ask you for a game with a strange title involving strange characters that would make Gary Gygax (deep geek culture reference there, sorry) ask, “you want what now?”
Here are three such games that you might consider buying for your kids this Christmas. In a week or so I’ll post a second article detailing 3 “mature” rated games your kids might want for Christmas.
Note: I normally try not to pull all my material from one source but I really appreciate what WhatTheyPlay.com has to say about two of these titles. Please give that site the benefit of your traffic by clicking on the link to the article. For your convenience however, I have included the full article text.
World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Expansion Pack
(PC) – Rated: T
By Ashley Dusenbery
If you’re not familiar with the genre of the Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG for short) you should be. Broadly speaking MMORPGs are computer games that allow players to play in a persistent world (the game world is always active even when the player is logged off) with thousands of other players at a time. These games typically involve a huge time commitment on the part of the player if that player expects to experience all that the game has to offer. They also typically involve a monetary commitment in the form of a monthly subscription fee on top of the retail price of the game. MMORPGs are intensely social games requiring players to work together to achieve quests or game objectives, advance in level, and earn the best in-game items or game money. Players interact in the game world and in text chat, and increasingly, in voice chat.
World of Warcraft (WoW for short) is the most popular MMORPG on the market today and Wrath of the Lich King is the latest expansion to WoW. I have play WoW quite a bit in the past and am generally a fan of MMORPGs myself. I run into the problem of not having the hours and hours time to invest in the game. As it stands I still have not experienced even half of what my original retail copy of WoW has to offer so buying yet another expansion to this game is not something I am personally interested in. For more active players, however, Wrath of the Lich King has a lot to offer:
- A rise in the “level cap” (the maximum level player’s characters can reach) from level 70 to level 80. Essentially this is an “eleven is one louder” (kudos to you if you catch the reference) feature. Player’s characters get to be that much stronger, cooler, etc.
- A whole new class (a class is the role a player plays in the game think warrior, wizard, etc.), the Death Knight. The Death Knight is a class available only to high-level players.
- More of the world is available for players to explore. There is much in the way of general content that the expansion, well, expands. New areas, cities, and dungeons are open for players to conquer, as well as a compelling new story for the players to uncover.
- Wrath of the Lich King will cost $40 from any game retailer and an additional $15 per month. You must own a copy of the original World of Warcraft game to be able to play this expansion.
There is very little in the way of objectionable material in World of Warcraft. There is killing in the game. Players are asked to kill certain non-player characters, monsters, and beasts. There is no blood to speak of, and when a creature dies it simply falls to the ground. Players are given the opportunity to play characters that are typically classified as good and evil. Players may play as an ork or an undead zombie-like creature. These evil races are typically presented as being misunderstood rather than truly evil. It’s all very tongue-in-cheek and cartoony. Since this is an online game most of the objectionable material players are likely to encounter come from other players. There is an obscenity filter built in to the chat which works fairly well, but players have a way if circumventing such filters so your kid is likely to encounter the odd curse word now and again. Such is life.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
(Xbox 360, PS3, Wii) – Rated: T
From WhatTheyPlay.com
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed has hit the stands with a purple lightsaber drawn and humming and the dark side flowing through it. Force Unleashed is an action game, played from a third person perspective, that follows a story that fills in the gaps between Episode III: Revenge of the Sith – the one where Anakin Skywalker becomes the evil Darth Vader – and Episode IV: A New Hope – the one we normally just call “Star Wars.” At the end of Episode III, the Jedi are being hunted and slain and, as we learn from Episode IV, they are eventually believed to be wiped out.
At the beginning of the game, players actually portray Darth Vader in all his glory. His mission is to find a powerful Jedi hiding on the planet Kashyyyk, which is where Wookies like Chewbacca come from. Using the Force to fling them around and his saber to snuff out their furry vine-swinging lives, Vader finds this Jedi but also a small boy. Sci Fi’s father of the year, Lord Vader, snatches the boy and teaches him to be a Sith (a dark Jedi) and to hate the Emperor. Young Galen Marek takes the name “Starkiller” and when he’s ready, the player takes over and guides him on his quest to kill the remaining Jedi (and other Star Wars aliens and characters).
The combat focuses heavily on the mighty lightsaber. It can deflect blaster fire, strike down enemies, and destroy obstacles. Force powers let you fling it like a lethal Frisbee and you can use your anger and hate to summon lightning shields, grab and fling enemies over cliffs, into rocks, and at each other. Force Lightning can fry enemies, stun them, and even blast TIE Fighters in midair. Force Push flings everything away from you. All these powers are upgradeable and can be used in combat.
The ESRB has rated Star Wars: The Force Unleashed “T” for “Violence.” The violence refers to the near-constant combat, and the normally-friendly Star Wars universe falling to your saber. You have to kill Wookies, the pig-like Ugnauts, droids and several good Jedi on your quest but you also fight the empire and the forces of darkness by the time it’s over. The game could be said to be about redemption – about becoming a good guy – but the game leaves that ultimate decision to the player.
Little Big Planet
(PS3) – Rated: E
From WhatTheyPlay.com
Explaining Little Big Planet may seem simple at first glance, with its hand-stitched “Sackboy”mascot – who can be adorned in a seemingly infinite array of silly costumes – hopping and leaping about whimsical side-scrolling levels set to smile-inducing jingles. Additionally, players only need to press a couple of buttons to enjoy the game, making it accessible to those who don’t traditionally pick up a somewhat daunting PlayStation controller.
Little Big Planet comes with the motto “Play. Create. Share.” This is actually an important statement since, beyond that first glance and the simple play mechanic, the game contains a whole set of additional user experiences including the ability to take any of the elements, materials, or entire objects in a given level and use them to create your very own masterpiece to play in (think virtual Lego… except replace the blocks with items that range from tiny flowers to giant animated dinosaurs). From there, players can also choose to publish their levels into the Little Big Planet world for other players to try.
If you’re not the type to tinker around and custom build things, you can still spend a great deal of time just bouncing around in other players’ creations, leaving notes, opinions, ratings or even personalized stickers along the way. If that’s not quite enough to do, players can also join up with other users online to cooperatively explore the potentially infinite number of levels and creations in the world. While this sounds overwhelming, the game goes to great lengths to provide simple instructions and plenty of engaging tutorials to keep you exploring, building, and/or sharing happily.
The concept for Little Big Planet is not unlike the popular video sharing website, YouTube. However, the visual interface is much more colorful, tactile, and interactive. Each player has their own “Pod” to hang out in, much like the deck of a spaceship looking out at the various bright colored planets populated inside the Little Big Planet universe. Pods can be decorated with items found while exploring various levels or with custom photos either imported from your PlayStation 3 or taken with the PlayStation Eye camera. Additionally, players can express their creativity with their Sackboy through costumes (bunny ears, moustaches, tutus, eye patches, helmets…. it’s endless!) and with simple gestures to indicate joy, sadness or even outrage while playing or communicating.
The ESRB rating for Little Big Planet is “E” with notes of “Comic Mischief,” and “Mild Cartoon Violence.” The basic game consists of running your custom Sackboy through levels where he can meet an untimely demise by falling from great heights, getting squished, or lit on fire, to name a few. However, this is all done in about the most adorable way possible and Sackboy quickly reappears in perfect condition to start again. Comic mischief comes in the forms of silly noises like burps and farts that can be attached to various objects – all generally harmless and fun for all ages.
What is important for parents to note outside the “E” rating is that the game is online-enabled and, as the ESRB notes, “Online interactions are not rated.” Players with a connection to the internet will have access to the massive amount of user-generated content that will be built by the community of players. While our experience showed most of the content to be surprisingly clean and generally playful, there is little to stop players from uploading potentially disturbing photos or creating levels with offensive elements or context. Players do have the ability to report any level of offense to the moderators of the Little Big Planet universe if certain players are ruining the experience for others. Voice chat is supported in the game as well (Sackboy will even lip sync to what you’re saying) so there is potential for foul language.
Filed under: Movies
CommonSenseMedia.org – Score: “3/5 Stars, Recommended for ages 14+“
Reviewed By: Sandie Angulo Chen
Director Peter Sollett infuses the film — based on a young-adult novel by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan — with the staples of most romantic comedies: the meet cute, a night out in New York City, comic-relief best friends, witty banter, and even a gross-out gag or two. And while the two protagonists — especially go-to adolescent lead Cera — are believable as hip-but-shy, sensitive-but-worldly, city-savvy-but-suburban-dwelling teens, parts of the film lag, get bogged down by the drunk-friend subplot, and just aren’t as funny as the filmmakers intended.
What does work is the movie’s vision of MySpace-generation teens as candid and tolerant. The teen culture in the film includes ubiquitous use of technology, gay and straight best friends, a rich record-company heiress who falls for a guy who drives a Yugo, girls who wear private school skirts by day and sexy mini skirts by night. This is the world that 21st-century teens live in, even if only a tiny fraction of them use New York’s post-punk clubs and greasy spoons as their playground.
ParentPreviews.com – Score: “D”
Reviewed By: Rod Gustafson
As is often the case in the teen movie genre, there really isn’t a whole lot of plot to digest. The middle act of this mercifully short production is a tedious montage of teen soap opera discussions interspersed with scenes of the dangerously drunk Caroline getting separated from the group and throwing up in a restroom at the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Also common in these films is the gross out factor — in this case Caroline has a treasured wad of gum that she inadvertently vomits into the toilet and then reaches in to retrieve. It will later be chewed again and shared by most of the cast.
As the night pushes into the early morning hours, Nick and Nora finally find themselves alone and the young lady is able to reveal her big dark secret. She has been dating a guy for three years and as yet still hasn’t reached that height of sexual pleasure. Thankfully (sarcasm noted) with Nick’s help her wish is about to be granted, and in approximately the same time it takes to order a fast food burger we hear the blissful moans of this adolescent reaching her goal.
Like many other teen movies, this film ignores the consequences of drinking, driving recklessly, and participating in casual sex. But Nick & Norah goes one step further, adding the complexities of sexual performance and satisfaction to the list of adolescent anxieties. While in their cool world the actions of these teens leads to an infinitely unbelievable happy ending, in reality this playlist would likely sing a different tune.
USAToday – Score: “4.5/5 Stars”
Reviewed By:
The sharp-witted Norah is not sure about much, but she is certain about her love for music. Nick is a lovelorn guy whose shallow former girlfriend, Tris (Alexis Dziena), has toyed with his affections. He valiantly continues to make her a succession of mix CDs, which she casually tosses out.
Unbeknownst to Nick or Tris, Norah has found the discs, enjoyed the musical selections and created a fantasy about the guy who compiled them. Nick wouldn’t necessarily fit the bill. He’s a little gawky and plays a lackluster bass in an indie rock band.
Though each plays an endearing character, there also is considerable chemistry between Cera [Nick] and Dennings [Nora]. Though the movie rambles in the middle, it gets back on track when Nick and Norah have a sweet encounter in an unexpected place. The soundtrack is an excellent counterpoint to the film’s quirky scenarios.
My Take
I never like to make a recommendation without having first experienced the media first hand, but it sound to me like there’s enough here to raise some alarms. Teen movies of this sort are almost always consequence free and feature general debauchery to excess. It’s pretty standard fare for this genre. Depending on your child, you might want to use caution when giving this movie the green light. If you do decide to let them go and see this movie, ask them what they thought of the life styles of the characters. There are opportunities here to talk about issues of homosexuality, tolerance, purity, drinking, etc.
Hope this helps!
Filed under: Games
There is a column that I love to read over at WhatTheyPlay.com (quickly becoming one of my favorite sites). It’s called “Ask Gamer Dad.” Basically an advice column geared towards parents of kids who like video games (so that’s pretty much every parent). There are some great and very level-headed (there’s a distinct shortage of sensible, and non-alarmist advice when it comes to video games) advice about how to manage your child’s game-life. As far as I know Gamer Dad (a.k.a Andrew S. Bub) is not a Christian but he is most certainly a father who cares what media his family consumes. I generally tend to agree with his advice. Apart from his regular advice column he also has a website at www.gamingwithchildren.com.
Here is a selection from his latest column.
Welcome to this week’s Ask GamerDad, the advice column for parents about video games. The moms and dads at What They Play understand that not every parent is a “Gamer Parent” – and that means it’s the kids who know what they want and it’s up to the parents to try to figure out if that’s a good idea. We’re here to help.
This week we balance homework and chores with sex and violence. It’s fun to be a parent!
Dear GamerDad,
How do you determine and enforce appropriate limits on gaming so it doesn’t get out of hand? How do you strike a balance between gaming and other elements of a kid’s life like homework, sports and chores?
-JoAnnaGamerDad Says
I believe games are like books, movies, etc., and should be regulated and supervised. I recommend against TVs and consoles inside bedrooms and recommend parents establish firm limits. I also urge parents to pay attention to their kids. A movie can be stopped, a book can be put down, but some games require time to find a “save” or stopping place. So strict time limits, while generally good, can cause a lot of stress with gaming. Keeping an eye on what the kids are up to is the main point and working with them to make game time a part of their childhood, rather than something that consumes their childhood is important. It’s a tough balance and parents need help.
See what I mean? Good stuff there. Here’s a great quetion from his Sept. 12th column.
Dear GamerDad,Besides GamerDad and What They Play what are the best ways for parents to get involved and informed of the gaming their children are in to?
-AnonGamerDad SaysPay attention! Watch the games being played, play them maybe, rent them, or go to YouTube and look for footage (the vilest stuff usually makes it up on YouTube pretty quickly). Try and play games with your kids and try to steer your kids toward games the whole family might like. Talk to your kids, learn who they are, and ask what they like/dislike about a game. Remember, THE SAME reason your kids like video games are THE SAME reasons you liked all kinds of stuff your parents didn’t like. Video games are just the latest in a long line of entertainment. They’re really no more dangerous than books, cinema, or television.
Fringe is the latest television offering from the creator of Alias and Lost, J. J. Abrams. I have not seen the show personally, but I do tend to enjoy Abrams’ work. From everything I have seen and read about Fringe it is very much a cross between Alias and The X-Files. Combining big government/corporate conspiracy theory with a healty dose of action.
Common Sense Media has a very helpful section describing the content of the show and what may or may not be objectionable. Also note, the questions at the end of the Note. There is a review up that you might want to read, but for new shows like this I think its better to know what to expect content-wise.
http://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/Fringe.html
Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that, like The X-Files, this sci-fi/action show combines conspiracy theories and sometimes-violent thrills. There are plenty of explosions, gunfights, and dead bodies (some of which are pretty gruesome to look at), as well as a bit of suggestive content (some scenes show the female lead wearing very little) and drug experimentation. The show promotes some unusual scientific theories, including dangerous biological weapons, advanced cybernetics, and much more. Some of these are clearly impossible, others seem quite plausible, and most fall somewhere in between, which could have teens wondering where to draw the line between hard science and make-believe.
Families can talk about the appeal of shows like this one. Are theories like the ones explored here realistic? Does that matter? Is it fun to watch a show like this one precisely because it’s unrealistic? Why do you think so many movies and TV shows focus on massive conspiracy theories? Does a show need such a strong villain to engage viewers? Do you think there could really be such a conspiracy in real life?
Filed under: Information & Resources
One of the things that I am really interested in doing is creating a resource for parents who may feel lost, confused, frightened and over whelmed by things like popular media, the internet, and video games. I want to give you information as you try to decide for yourselves just what music, movies, television, and games you are going to let your children experience.
You might have questions about what to do with a movie like The Golden Compass comes out which is part of an allegorical tale depicting the destruction of God. Do we boycott such films? How are we to respond? Do we allow our mature children to see them and help them to think critically about such movies?
You might be worried about the effects of violence in video games and the alleged links between games and school violence. Did you know that the jury is still out on that theory? Is violence in video games worse than violence that we see in movies and TV? Can your children actually benefit from playing video games?
I don’t claim to have the answers on any of these issues. I dare say, I’m the least experienced parent around. But I am something of a culture geek and I do love thinking about and discussing these things. In my dreams, this site would be a place where we can challenge and encourage each other as we try to raise children who are not afraid of the culture but who are actively working in the culture to redeem the culture.
