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This Sunday is Mother's Day. So our host Lisa Anderson kicks off The Boundless Show with an encouraging word about her mom and how she prays for the show each week, even though she's never heard it; because she doesn't own a computer and refuses to get one because of "all that porn." But she understands it's an audio show so at least it's in the ballpark.
Steve Watters ends the segment with a poignant reminder of why we all need to take the time to make this Mother's Day a special one.
Roundtable -- 6:50
Is it OK for Christians to go camping alone with their girlfriends or boyfriends? Hmm. That's one of the dating dilemmas we discuss in our roundtable this week. Other dilemmas revolve around jobless men and spendthrift women. It's a fun segment, but we hope you'll find it helpful as well.
Culture -- 22:35
Many of you have probably already seen Facing the Giants from Sherwood Pictures, the movie production arm of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia. Well, they have a new movie coming out this September called Fireproof and Lisa had a chance to sit down with Jim McBride and Steven Kendrick after a special screening here at Focus on the Family. I couldn't make it but based on what everybody had to say, it's a must-see!
Hungry Years -- 33:29
When John Thomas was offered his first job out of college, he was a reluctant candidate. One of the marks against it was the location ... his hometown. And who wants to move back home right after college. Nobody, right? But despite low pay and no benefits, would it turn out to be an offer he couldn't refuse? Check it out. I guarantee you'll laugh out loud.
Inbox -- 38:50
Does Boundless have an unbalanced view of marriage? One of our listeners thinks so after Candice brought up a woman's "help meet" role in last week's podcast. The questioner asks in short, shouldn't women who've done all the right things to "get married" stop chasing men and seek God? Steve and Candice tackle this one with resounding, We agree! But....
I'm including your listening options here because we're working on our artwork this week. If you're inclined to listen on iTunes, please take a moment to leave us a review. Also, if you like to stream or download the MP3 or want to subscribe through RSS, all those options can be found on our Feedburner page.
And last but not least, I'd like to end by thanking West Coast Revival for letting us use their music this week. It really adds to the show. And if you want to hear more go to their Web site.
You're a single Christian woman, and you have in your head that you're not supposed to initiate relationships; that's the guy's role. And yet it's your heart's desire to be married, to enjoy your husband, to raise children.
So how might you get from where you are now to where you want to be?
Among other things, you can pray. While prayer seems more mystical and less practical than other things you could try, it is truly effective. After all, it consists of presenting your requests before the Creator of the universe. He not only cares for you, but is able to do something about your situation.
And you could invite friends to join you in prayer. Nothing at all wrong with that.
Speaking of practical, let me be practical: Click right now over to the Women Praying Boldly Web site and join their community. It's free, the fellowship is encouraging, and you'll have friends who'll pray for you, and for whom you too can pray.
This may seem like a shameless plug for a friend of mine, but it's really not. It's about helping you do what you can to help marriage happen.
It's a puzzling biblical truth that sometimes we "do not have, because we do not ask." I implore you to join the community of women at Women Praying Boldly, and then, with them by your side, to go ahead and ask.
 I'm a big fan of intergenerational friendships among Christians. I've often heard someone my age say, "I want to get to know an older believer to glean from his wisdom and experience." But sometimes wisdom comes from the young. An excerpt from my personal blog.
Soft-spoken with gentle eyes, 16-year-old Zach Hunter doesn't look the part of an abolitionist. But beneath a quiet exterior beats a fiery heart akin to William Wilberforce or Martin Luther King Jr. In the past four years, Zach has written two books, founded an anti-slavery campaign and spoken all over the world.
This morning I sat at a table with Zach and his mom. When asked if he ever gets to be a "normal" 16-year-old, Zach shrugs and says, "Sometimes." His next words challenge me. "A lot of times kids my age are going out and doing things I don't want to do—because they're not right." He's talking about seeing certain movies or going to prom, things most teens—even Christian ones—probably wouldn't think twice about.
Zach has a keen sense of right and wrong—a quality that led him to start "Loose Change to Loosen Chains" when he was 12. The student-led campaign continues to raise thousands of dollars each year to end slavery. Gentle and humble (remind you of anyone?), Zach isn't your average powerhouse influencer. And yet his fierce dedication to God's calling on his life and willingness to sacrifice are inspiring a generation to take action. In a CT article, he says of his generation:
"I want us to make history—and I don't mean to get our names in some history book, but to be known as a generation that did something for God, cared for the poor, and totally stopped slavery."
And God is blessing Zach's willingness to commit his youth to this cause. Zach's book Be the Change surprised publishers with the number of copies sold. And his upcoming book Generation Change will be accompanied by parent-youth events to help parents empower their children to follow God's calling on their lives.
I'm glad for examples like Zach. God challenged me to a higher standard through him. You can catch Zach's wisdom on his blogs at breakawaymag.com.
Earlier today I talked about how housing is one of the "big five" expenses for families. That also means it's one place where mistakes can be very costly -- for families or singles.
And over at Boundless, I wrote an article titled "Home Buying Mistakes" where I list 15 common home-buying mistakes and how to avoid them. I also tackle whether there is anything distinctive Christians should be considering in the home buying process.
I'd be interested in what you think. Take a quick look at the article (it's an easy read -- nice bolded topic headings) and see if you agree. Have you made any of these mistakes? I have. Anything you hadn't thought about before? What about coming at home buying from a Christian worldview -- any ideas for that?
And in the spirit of being "shining stars" in the blogging world and showcasing the intelligence and originality of our readers, will you promise not to start any comment with "I haven't read the article ... but"? I'm really interested in what you can think of that I haven't. I promise, you will make my day! (Of course, "Amens" are perfectly allowable. You know..."Amen to #7! I learned this by..." That kind of thing.)
Also, if I had to add mistake #16, I think it would be buying a home where the master bathroom has no separating wall between it and the master bedroom. Whether you are married or want to be someday, I will swear by this one. We do have a separating door, so this morning when my husband hopped into the shower at 5:45am, I was able to simply roll over in the darkness, put the pillow over my ear and get 45 more minutes of sleep. Ah, bliss.
In a Yahoo Finance article titled "Can You Live on One Income? It's Worth a Try," financial writer Laura Rowley has some advice for those considering single-income family life: Beware the Big Five.
Rowley quotes Elizabeth Warren, author of The Two-Income Trap, who has determined that today's two-earner families spend 75 percent of their budgets on five things (where the single-earner family of the 1970s only spent one-half of their budgets on the same things).
What are the big five? Food? Clothing? Electronics? Automobile? Nope. According to the article, those costs have actually gone down on an inflation-adjusted basis. But five costs have skyrocketed:
- Housing -- Up 100 percent in inflation-adjusted dollars since the 1970s
- Health Insurance -- Up 74 percent
- The Second Car -- Though the inflation-adjusted price of cars has dropped since the 1970s (this surprised me), families now have two cars instead of one.
- Taxes -- The income of the second-earner is going to be taxed at a higher rate than the income of the first earner. So, taxes on the family unit have risen 25 percent.
- Child Care -- In 2007, the average cost for infant care in a licensed center was $14,647.
The takeaway according to Rowley is to be intentional: "You see lots of articles discussing ways to eliminate the second income -- things like clipping coupons, buying second-hand clothes, and cutting out vacations and cable television. But ultimately, paring those expenses isn't going to cover the gap for most middle-class families, because those aren't the costs that drive them to the economic edge. The real problems are ...'the big five.'
So, if you're serious about raising your future children at home, take a hard look at that list. Good financial choices now (in housing, autos and health insurance) can give you many more choices in the future.
And realize that there will be sacrifices. Rowley quotes financial coach Judy Lawrence: "You have to be willing to do some soul-searching about the things you're going to change and let go of," Lawrence says. "It's going back to your true priorities, values and goals and saying 'it's the best choice for me, my family, and our future' -- not 'we'll be locked into a life of drudgery and we can't do what we want to do.'"
From my experience, the sacrifices are absolutely worth it.
Once coed dormitories became the norm on college campuses, you had to know it was only a matter of time before male and female students were allowed to room together. I guess college administrators felt that sharing floors and bathrooms just wasn't enough to completely destroy gender distinctions.
Here's an excerpt from an MSNBC article one of our readers sent us: In the prim 1950s, college dorms were off-limits to members of the opposite sex. Then came the 1970s, when male and female students started crossing paths in coed dormitories. Now, to the astonishment of some Baby Boomer parents, a growing number of colleges are going even further: coed rooms.
At least two dozen schools, including Brown University, the University of Pennsylvania, Oberlin College, Clark University and the California Institute of Technology, allow some or all students to share a room with anyone they choose — including someone of the opposite sex. This spring, as students sign up for next year's room, more schools are following suit, including Stanford University.
What's next? Clothes-optional dorms and classes?
On the next The Boundless Show, guest contributor Suzanne Hadley makes the point that staying overnight with a member of the opposite isn't just about sexual temptation, it's about sharing an intimacy that's reserved for marriage. And the more you do things outside of God's design, the more likely it is that you'll never know its real meaning.
But Ivory Tower elitists don't know or care about stuff like that. And college isn't just about learning anymore. It's about gender blending.
A few years ago the Swiss government asked an ethics panel to consider "plant dignity." So the Swiss Federal Ethics Committee on Non-Human Biotechnology got together and produced the "Dignity of Living Beings with Regard to Plants" report.
Here's the gist of the report from The Weekly Standard's "The Silent Scream of the Asparagus": A "clear majority" of the panel adopted what it called a "biocentric" moral view, meaning that "living organisms should be considered morally for their own sake because they are alive." Thus, the panel determined that we cannot claim "absolute ownership" over plants and, moreover, that "individual plants have an inherent worth." This means that "we may not use them just as we please, even if the plant community is not in danger, or if our actions do not endanger the species, or if we are not acting arbitrarily."
There's a lot to unpack here. But my mind immediately went to the issue of abortion. Consider the implication of language like, "living organisms should be considered morally for their own sake" and "individual plants have an inherent worth" and "we may not use them as we please." It appears the Swiss want to assign more value to plants than Americans currently give pre-born babies.
It shows you just how distorted human reason can become with an ever declining Judeo-Christian influence.
"So, Mommy," my daughter sheepishly began. "Did you know that Riley gets paid to do jobs for her mom?"
"Hmm, no, didn't know that," I smiled.
A few minutes later I have agreed that yes, I will think of some jobs my 7-year-old can do for me to earn money. No time like the present to learn a good work ethic and what we do with our money once we earn it (oh yeah, you know me, reinforcement on tithing cannot be far away).
Evidently, though, I'm a little slow off the draw because my daughter hits me up within a few hours. She has thought of some jobs. "Oh, really, honey? Let me hear them."
Idea #1: She will do a play and her dad and I will pay for tickets. Here we have a talk about the things we do for our family simply because they are family. She's disappointed, but not defeated.
Idea #2: She will get up a little early and set the breakfast table for me. Another talk. This one is about how if we are going to get paid to do a job it needs to be one, something that we work hard for, and two, something that mommy really needs help with.
I come up with an idea: she can clean blinds. You can see the wheels spinning in her head. Obviously not what she had in mind. But after a few days of contemplating and also seeing the Barbie at Target that I remind her she can buy when she has her own money, she's ready.
So, this weekend for three hours (no, I'm not kidding), my daughter sat on the living room floor taking the vacuum across the blind slats, one by one. One dollar per window and she didn't stop until she had enough money for her tithe plus the Barbie.
It was a great day for both of us. She learned about the rewards (and not just financial) of hard work and I felt an incredible satisfaction in her dedication and also in the fact that she really did help me. I hate cleaning blinds.
It made me wonder how often I am like my 7-year-old when I'm talking with God. Yes, Father, I want to do some work for you, but I've got my own great ideas. How about I do this? I really enjoy it and that can be my work. Or how about this? It gives me a lot of satisfaction and it's not too hard.
Justin Taylor touched on this in yesterday's article, Working Out a Theology of Work: Whatever your vocation, God calls you to honor Him, to reflect His image, and to labor with all of your might. You may not be in your dream job right now. But the secret is to honor God in the little things and to sanctify the ordinary.
Am I laboring with all of my might? Am I working heartily, as for the Lord and not for men? This weekend, I felt I had a small glimpse of God's perspective. The play would have been fun. Setting the table wouldn't have been too hard. But my daughter worked hard and she did what I really needed her to do. God, make me that kind of daughter to you. Even if it means cleaning blinds.
Someday my prince will come ... and that day is May 16.
That is the release date of Prince Caspian, the second Chronicles of Narnia film produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media.
Mark Moring of Christianity Today interviewed Andrew Adamson, the film's director. Adamson directed 2005's The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and the first two Shrek films. A few other interesting facts about Adamson: He was the son of Christian missionaries to Papua New Guinea; he duked it out with Lewis' stepson Doug Gresham over the role of women in the first Narnia film; and he's intent on being faithful to one of the best-loved children's books of all time.
Doug Gresham, who has been intimately involved with the production of both films, believes Prince Caspian is a better film than The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, even though it's a more difficult story to tell. Adamson explains:
The story of Lion/Witch was already very cinematic with sort of a five-act structure. In Prince Caspian a lot of the story is told in retrospect, with Trumpkin telling the kids what happened when they were gone. So I restructured it to make it more linear. It's a challenge, but sometimes the limitations you face actually create more interesting solutions. And that's what I think makes this movie feel like a bigger movie, a more complex and interesting movie.
Despite his evangelical upbringing, Adamson feels a greater duty to his art than Lewis' Christian fan base:
I feel my responsibility to C. S. Lewis's fans is just being true to
the books, and letting people take from it what they will. What you
take from it depends on your belief, and how much interpretation you
place upon it. I think by staying true to the book, I'm staying true to
what any fan gets from the book.
For those of you who, like me, are excited to see Prince Caspian come to the big screen, you may want to check out this excerpt of the excellent Radio Theatre audio drama of the work produced by Focus on the Family.
Last week, I blogged about the influence the Hispanic birth rate will have on America over the next 50 years. In that same time frame, the Japanese government now projects they will lose a third of their population. In an article titled, "Japan Steadily Becoming a Land of Few Children," the Washington Post writes: Japan, now the world's second-largest economy, will lose 70 percent of its workforce by 2050 and economic growth will slow to zero, according to a report this year by the nonprofit Japan Center for Economic Research.
 Demographers discuss Japan's dramatic population reversal in a new documentary called Demographic Winter. Because Japan never had the baby boom America had, they are showing more quickly a pattern demographers are seeing around the world -- not enough children to support aging populations.
The growth of world population at this present moment, the commentary explains is not from new births -- rates are dropping almost everywhere -- it's from a health explosion that is allowing people to live longer and longer.
All the efforts around the world to control population (documented in books such as Fatal Misconception) have been rather effective, but have now made it likely that many of the readers of this blog will be asked to pay a larger share of the taxes required to care for an expanding aging population dependent on a shrinking workforce.
My concern is that this expectation might lead to resentment among young workers toward the people they are supporting and could lead to a coarsening attitude toward the elderly and even greater acceptance for euthanasia. That would be a tragic scenario, especially knowing it could have been averted if the population debates of the past three decades could have been less hysterical and more honest about what objective demographers actually knew about population trends.
Copyright 2008 Focus on the Family. All rights reserved. International copyright secured. The Line and Boundless Line are trademarks of Focus on the Family.
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