photo by paul obregon

What does reaching Hollywood have to do with the precious life Im carrying and will deliver soon after you receive this issue? Well, actually, quite a lot, and heres why.

In preparation for this big event, Bryan and I have been taking an in-depth Bible study on bringing up our children with godly standards and principles. Were learning about Gods mandate for parents to live our lives in a manner that reflects His Life in us. Were learning that, because of the short attention spans of the children God has entrusted to us, we must take care to model His love with consistency. For example, we will strive not to be rude or mean to others, and we will explain that the reason is because all people are precious to God.

As our soon-to-be-born daughter matures, we will build on this and other messages to fill her moral warehouse with the messages that would please and honor God. We already strive to both explain and model these messages to her six-year-old brother, Calem. He, of course, is already applying such simple concepts as Gods love for all to specific people, such as his classmates and neighborhood friends.

So what about Hollywoodor, more broadly, the entertainment industry and other cultural gatekeepers? Naturally, as parents were mindful of the influence that television and movies have on children. In our Bible study we learned that it takes five hours of parental influence to combat each hour of negative messages instilled by the media into the hearts of our children. Wow! It seems we have a real battle on our hands.

So I will take On Missions advice about monitoring our childrens exposure to the media. But what else? As a new mother, I plan to teach caution but also love. The gatekeepers to our culture are precious to God, even if they dont know Him. And I want my children to learn that reaching out with the gospel is a better and more powerful response than shrinking back in fear.

Inevitably, they will encounter the entertainment and intellectual culture of North America. But when they do, I want their hearts to cry out for a changed people and a changed culture. This means changed hearts. This message, I pray, is Gods Life in me.

Missy Newby, design editor