Category: Uncategorized

I am so excited about May 25th! – M.I.B. DEBUTS at THEATERS!

I am a HUGE FAN of Men In Black!  I am excited about MIB 3!  I cannot wait till it comes out.  I am trying to get my mom to see the midnight show.  I will keep you posted. LOL

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSRF3slguhI

Here come the Men in Black
(Uh it’s the M.I.B.’s)
(Uh here come the M.I.B.’s)
Here come the Men in Black (Men in Black)
They won’t let you remember

Nah, nah, nah,
The good guys dress in black, remember that,
Just in case we ever face to face and make contact.
The title held by me… M.I.B.
Means what you think you saw, you did not see.
So don’t blink,
Think what was there but now’s gone.
Black suit with the black Ray Ban’s on.
Walk in shadow, move in silence,
Guard against extra-terrestrial violence.
But yo we ain’t on no government list.
We straight don’t exist,
No names and no fingerprints.
Saw something strange,
Watch your back.
Cause you never quite know where the M.I.B.’s is at,
Uh and…

Here come the Men in Black. (Men in Black)
The galaxy defenders. (uh oh, uh oh)
Here come the Men in Black. (Men in Black)
They won’t let you remember. (won’t remember)
(uh uh, uh uh)

Now from the deepest of the darkest of night,
On the horizon, bright light in the site tight,
Cameras zoom, only impending doom.
But then like BOOM black suits fill the room up.
With the quickness talk with the witnesses,
Hypnotizer, neuralizer.
Vivid memories turn to fantasies.
Ain’t no M.I.B.’s.
Can I please,
Do what we say that’s the way we kick it.
Ya know what I mean,
I say my noisy cricket get wicked on ya.
We’re your first, last and only line of defence,
Against the worst scum of the universe.
So don’t fear us, cheer us.
If you ever get near us, don’t jeer us.
We’re the fearless.
M.I.B.’s freezin’ up all the flack.
What’s that stand for?
Men In Black.
Uh, M-m-m-…

The Men in Black.
(Uh uh uh)
The Men in Black.
(Uh uh uh, ah ah ah)

Let me see ya just bounce it with me.
Just bounce with me.
Just bounce it with me. C’mon,
Let me see ya just slide with me.
Just slide with me.
Just slide with me. C’mon.
Let me see ya take a walk with me.
Just walk with me.
Take a walk with me. C’mon,
And make your neck work.
Now freeze.

Here come the Men in Black. (Men in Black)
The galaxy defenders. (ooh ooh)
Here come the Men in Black. (Men in Black)
They won’t let you remember. (uh no, no)

A-ight check it.
Let me tell you this in closin’.
I know we might seem imposin’,
But trust me if we ever show in your section.
Believe me it’s for your own protection.
Cuz we see things that you need not see,
And we be places that you need not be.
So go with your life,
Forget that Roswell crap.
Show love to the black suit.
Cuz that’s the Men in,
That’s the Men in…

Here come the Men in Black. (Here they come)
The galaxy defenders. (galaxy defenders)
Here come the Men in Black. (oh, here they come)
They won’t let you remember. (won’t let you remember)

Here come the Men in Black. (Oh, here they come)
The galaxy defenders. (uh oh, uh oh)
Here come the Men in Black.
They won’t let you remember.

Unfriended! Parenting in a Social Media World

Unfriended! Parenting in a Social Media World
Catherine Hickem, L.C.S.W.

In today’s world of technology, we seem to have encountered issues and challenges our parents did not face.  It is hard to believe there are truly new issues, but social media is a creation which the world had never seen until the end of the last century.

As with most cultural changes, there are blessings and curses associated with each new phenomenon.  In the last several months, we witnessed a nation’s ruling party be overturned, due in part to the influence social media had upon its citizens.  If it can impact a nation, whatever is it doing to today’s families?

Unfortunately, we are seeing issues surface which reflect the state of the family’s condition through social media relationships. Thankfully, there are numerous ways parents can regain lost ground in this new era of communication. Let me highlight some opportunities, as well as responsibilities, parents need to seize in order to establish healthy habits in the home:

The Early Years

Today’s young children are being exposed to the computer at very early ages.  In fact, there is software that introduces a young child to the computer in order to make it more appealing and fun. Some of these products can be helpful in learning numbers and ABC’s, but they should not replace books, flash cards, and puzzles.  It should be a supplemental method and not the primary way children learn the basics.

Computer time should be limited to no more than 30 minutes per day and only if the child is interested in being on the computer. Games are an excuse for children to be on it for longer periods of time, but do not let their enjoyment persuade you to allow extended time on the computer.

Children below the age of ten have no business owning a cell phone or having a Facebook or Twitter page.  They do not have the maturity to deal with the freedom and the responsibility that come with managing multiple relationships.  Here is where the problems typically begin.

I often hear the argument that a seven year old needs a cell phone so if a problem should arise while they are at a sleepover, they can notify their parents. My argument to that is if a parent thinks there is going to be an issue, then don’t allow the child to stay overnight.  Technology has allowed too much responsibility to be placed on the child for their own well-being and this is simply unfair and unhealthy.  Children need to grow up with parents doing their job so they do not have to grow up too quickly.

Tweens

Social media for children and tweens under twelve is typically asking for problems. Parents will hear the argument that everyone has a Facebook or Twitter account, but don’t let that stop you from being firm on this matter.  Once your child has one of these outlets, you are going to have to be involved quite frequently in order to guide, protect, and teach your child how to handle the responsibility.

Cell phones need to be monitored because this age seems to struggle when it comes to time management, relationships, and good judgment. This is not a criticism, but just a by-product of where they are developmentally. More often than not, this age group simply does not think about how their actions may have long term implications.

One of my friends recently shared with me that she was returning home from a road trip and noticed a bus from a local school about three hours from home. As she drove around the bus, she discovered the girls had written their cell phone numbers on paper and placed them in the window so people could get their number to call them.  What was particularly scary to my friend was that she witnessed a trucker slowing down alongside the bus as if he was taking the numbers down. The potential danger in this situation is unimaginable.

Limit computer time to no more than an hour a day and be sure the computer is in the main part of the house. Do not let your middle school children have computers in their rooms because it removes your ability to monitor their activity and screen habits. They won’t like this, but that is okay. It is not your job to make them happy, but to protect them from themselves and teach them the lost virtue of moderation.

The High School Years

This season is especially tricky for parents because they do not want to have one more battle on their hands.  However, teens should never have accounts that do not give you complete access to them. There is software you can install on all of your household computers which allows you to get a report on the sites that have been visited. This is not a bad idea if you need to monitor computers with multiple users.

Another healthy habit is for parents to sit down with their teen on a monthly basis and go over entries on their Facebook and Twitter accounts. This will help you become familiar with where your teens are spending their time. You will learn a lot when you see photos, read stories, and ask questions. Most parents would be shocked if they knew what their teens knew, saw, and read from their “friends”.

Texting has gotten out of control at every age and it seems as if families cannot eat in peace without family members texting through dinner. Establish ground rules for your family, adults included, so time to talk, share, and listen are a normal part of your family’s interactions. Set up ‘no-texting’ times and zones and be firm on this matter. Otherwise, technology will control your family instead of you controlling it.

Parents

Teenagers and young adults do not need or want to see pictures of their parents partying out of control or acting inappropriately. Even if they are present when the pictures are taken, it is a completely different issue for them to leave their personal world and go onto a site the entire world can see and observe.  Bottom line, they do not want to be embarrassed in front of their friends. Parents need to consider how their postings and photos will impact their offspring.

Another issue parents need to consider centers around the idea of parents seeking to be “friends” with their teen’s friends.  This is highly inappropriate and places an undue burden on their children.  It completely destroys trust and undermines a parent’s role for that child. Know your teen’s friends the old fashioned way: face to face. This will allow you to maintain your position as a parent and establish your authority in a healthy and meaningful way.

Technology is a wonderful contribution to our lives if parents allow it to be a tool instead of a substitute for real relationships. Healthy parents will make sure they are creating balance, teaching responsibility, and using it as an opportunity to assess their child’s emotional maturity. By being intentional in this ever changing area of life, they will greatly reduce the likelihood of having regrets. After all, every parent wants to know they have done all they can do to raise healthy, well-adjusted children.

March 3, 2011

Catherine Hickem, L.C.S.W., is the author of the new book Regret Free Parenting: Raise Good Kids and Know You’re Doing It Right, releasing March 2011 (Thomas Nelson) and is a licensed psychotherapist with three decades of experience. Hickem is a motherhood expert who has made it her life’s mission to equip moms for every facet of raising exceptional children. Author, speaker, coach, and counselor, she founded Intentional Moms, a national not-for-profit organization that provides information, support, and insights on motherhood. Hickem lives in Delray Beach, Florida with her husband Neil. They have two adult children. To read Catherine’s blog visit www.intentionalmoms.com

Finish Like You Started

Finish Like You Started
Marybeth Whalen

“Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?” Galatians 3:3 (NIV1984)

If you’ve ever felt God call you to something, you know the sheer excitement — and sheer terror — of stepping out in response to His call. You know what it means to walk in faith, to follow Him into the unknown. You know the huge spiritual growth that can take place when you say yes to Him and learn to trust Him implicitly.

Even though these “yes” times in our lives can be taxing and frightening, they can also be exhilarating. I’ve never felt closer to Him than when I’ve stepped out in faith and set my sights on a goal He has provided for me: a goal that is bigger than me, that is clearly God-designed.

And then time goes by. The first tremors of excitement fade into the daily monotony of continuing to walk forward, sometimes doing the smallest of tasks along the way. The big goal that seemed so paramount begins to shrink the closer we get to it. We feel our excitement give way to apathy.

And, too often, we get out of step with the Spirit and start trying to do things ourselves.

The less afraid we are, the more we try to do things on our own. We start feeling capable — and our capability makes us less reliant on the very One who called us.

When I read today’s key verse I literally gasped in conviction. My answer to both of the questions Paul was asking was yes. I was being foolish. I was trying to attain my goals by human effort.

What had happened to that daily reliance, that absolute need for God to work through me? I realized I had become stronger, more confident, and less needy. My flesh had taken over and all but silenced the Spirit within me.

Maybe you’ve found yourself in a situation where — somehow — you’ve taken over. Your capability has made you complacent like mine did.

I don’t ever want to be complacent. I want to stoke the fire, stay on the edge, be ever-mindful of my own inadequacy in whatever place God has me.

After I read Galatians 3:3, I wrote it down on an index card and laid it on my nightstand so I would see it often. And every time I saw it, I asked God to make me mindful of His Spirit within me, to keep me from getting in my own way, to help me realign my goals with His. Even if it takes humbling me. Even if it takes giving me a new calling so I am out of my comfort zone again. Even if it means starting all over. I began with the Spirit, and I want to finish still holding tightly to Him.

I imagine you do, too.

Dear Lord, I began with the Spirit and I want to stay in step with the Spirit. Help me to rely on You and not my own effort. When I am capable, allow me to be reminded of my own inadequacy so that I would never try to do things by human effort, but always through Yours. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Don’t Despise the Small

Don’t Despise the Small
Lysa TerKeurst

“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.” James 3:13 (NIV)

What seems small in your world? That place where your vision is grand but your reality isn’t. Your influence? Your opportunity? Your business? Your ability to give? Your ministry?

Look at that small place and tell me what you see.

Now, might I be so bold as to slip a little note into your world to tell you what I see?

I see the strings of a gift that when appreciated will spill forth as wisdom and understanding you can’t get any other way. I see the possibility of James 3:13 churning to break free in your life, “deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.”

I see the place from which humility is birthed. That glorious rare quality that doesn’t take too much credit. That knows real success is laced with upward glances, bent knees and whispered praises to the One. The only One.

He who gives.

And He who withholds. Not out of spite, not out of ignorance, not out of deafness, and certainly not out of comparisons where others are found to be more deserving.

No. He withholds out of protection. With more urgent restraint than we’ll ever possess, He presses back the big to protect the workings of the small.

The small we should not despise.

The quiet nurturing taking place, the unfolding, the stir beneath where none can see.

Soon, a fork in the soul’s path must be chosen. One way to haughtiness. One way to humility.

If that soul has never tasted small, it will detest the humble pallet. And crave big, only big, until it is so full of big that being big inflates and distorts and eventually bursts. All things haughty will eventually be made microscopic.

But for the soul that has tasted small, humility becomes their richest fare. The taste that fits. The thing most desired to be consumed. All things humble will eventually be made great.

Oh the beautiful gift of small.

The delight of knowing what small really is.

Small isn’t a belittling of one’s calling nor an indication of one’s future.

It’s a place. A grand unnoticed place. A place to be protected and remembered. A place that keeps all things big in good and right perspective.

Small isn’t what keeps us from that grand vision.

Small is what keeps us for that grand vision.

Dear Lord, help me to embrace the small today. I want to see with Your eyes what You have planned for me today. Give me the ability to understand the beautiful gift of small. Thank You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.