Do you know what's popular?

One of the things kids face is a barrage of entertainment that is anything but positive.  Every year, I try to check the winners of the Teen Choice and Kid's Choice Award shows and many times I find myself shaking my head at what they are choosing as their favorites.  More often than not, the things that are winning are not kid friendly...especially where the Teen Choice Award winners are concerned.  And if the teens are watching or listening to it, their younger siblings are probably watching/listening as well.

Just like when you watch the Emmy's or the Oscars and the winner may not be your choice, it is the same way with kids and teen award shows.  Just because something wins doesn't mean all the kids in your department are watching or listening to the winner.  However, it is almost a given that they are aware of the winners and probably have friends who like that artist, television show, or movie even if they do not.  And that being the case, we need to be aware of them too.

It sounds easy...simply know what is popular in the world of children, but it's not.  It changes all the time.  What was popular last month may not be popular this month.  The band the kids couldn't get enough of  when they were in 4th grade may be uncool when they reach 5th grade. The toy that everyone had to have last Christmas is collecting dust on the shelves by February.  The game all the boys were playing on their phone in May might be deleted by August.  You could spend hours every week trying to keep up with it all and let's face it...we don't have that kind of time.  So, what do we do?

LISTEN
If the kids in your department are excited about something, they will talk about it...a lot.  What shows are they talking about watching?  What song in stuck in their head?  What books are they reading? What apps are they loving?  They may walk right up to you and say, "Do you watch __________?  I love that show!"  But we are often so busy before and after church services that we don't always hear what they are telling us.  Make a point to listen to what they are saying.  You might be surprised at what you will hear.

DO RESEARCH
A quick google search for "Teen Choice Award Winners" or "Kid's Choice Awards Winners" will bring up lots of articles about those shows.  Take a few minutes and look them over.  Take note of the artists or movies that win more than one award.  Maybe take a few minutes to look up the names of any winning artist, show, internet celebrity, or movie that you are not familiar with.  These shows also give awards for video games and social media personalities so it really is an overview of all the media that in coming at the kids.  This doesn't have to take a long time, but it can give you an idea of what is popular.

SEE WHAT THEY SEE
We may not have time to watch every television show or movie that comes out geared at kids, but we can do our best to see the ones that seem to be the most popular.  Is there a song that your kids are listening to repeatedly?  There is probably a video on YouTube of that song.  Take five minutes and watch it.  Catch at least one episode of that show they all love to watch.  The game they love to play on their phones may be a free download.  If so, try it out.  See what has made it so addictive. We may not see it all, but we can at least make an effort to know what they are seeing.  

You might not think this sort of thing is important, but here is what I've noticed over the years.  If what is important to the kids is not even on our radar, they will listen to us less.  Not because they don't like us, but because we do not seem to understand them.  If they talk to us about their favorite show and we know what it's about, or if we know who the new popular artist is on the radio, it shows them that we find their interests important...and by extension that they are important.  And if they know we find them important, they are more likely to listen to us on things that we find important...like our Bible lessons.  And they will also be willing to listen to us when we explain why we don't like the lyrics of a particular song or how the message of such and such a movie isn't appropriate.  As the old saying goes, "They have to know you care before they care what you know."

That's all for this week!   


  

Movie Reviews "Woodlawn" and "War Room"

This is a bit different from my normal tips, but recently I was able to attend special previews of both "Woodlawn", which comes out in October, and "War Room" which opens later this month.  And, in my opinion, both of these films could be life changing for the people in our churches.  Not just our churches, but our communities...our world.  Why?  Because both movies are about the power of prayer and how God can and will move, when His people pray. 

"War Room" is coming out very soon.  In fact, it opens on August 28th.  This is the newest movie from the Kendrick Brothers, who brought us "Courageous," "Fire Proof" and "Facing the Giants."  "War Room" is a fantastic look at how prayer can change not just one person, but that person's entire family and life.  It centers on a woman whose marriage is on the rocks and whose daughter is showing the signs of living in a rocky home life.  But then an elderly lady (a spunky and funny woman who is my personal favorite character in the film), takes that woman under her wing and teaches her how to "fight on her knees," and the woman's life is changed.  Changed beyond anything she could have hoped for.  It's not an easy transformation.  Life changes are rarely simple, but when allowed to do His work, this movie shows how God can take our torn up lives and make something beautiful out of it.  Check out the trailer below.

Last night, I was able to see "Woodlawn" and this movie is amazing.  I'm not a sports fan, but I love sports movies and I love true stories.  This movie is both, so from the outset I knew I would enjoy it, but it is so much more than I had hoped for.  This movie follows an African American High School Football player and his coach as God comes in and changes not only their lives, but the lives of their team, their school and even their town.  But it starts with a movement of God on nearly the entire football team.  It was written by people who lived the story and the families of those who lived it.  So, it is a story that is close to the heart of the filmmakers and they have done their best to make it an accurate depiction of what went on.  And what went on is simply amazing.  You really have to see it to fully understand. It opens on October 16th. I simply can not recommend this film highly enough! Here the trailer for "Woodlawn."

Why do I think these films could be life changing?  Because they both deal with prayer.  God moves in such amazing ways even in the release of these two films.  The first reminds us of HOW to pray and reminds us that we must start with our own families if we want to see change.  Then the second reminds us of the far reaching effects that prayer can have on our communities if we would just do it!  Our Country is in a mess in many ways, but our God is so much bigger that our mess.  My prayer is that people would see these films and be reminded that prayer is powerful and then go to their knees and fight for our families, our churches, our communities, and our country.  And then we can watch the work the Lord will do and marvel at His greatness.