Home | Charis Buckland

Hello there! 

School is almost out and that means bare feet outside, lunches on the patio, and getting muddy in sprinklers.

Slides are so fun!

I also love afternoon scooter time!

Frisbees are fun for hours as well!

At this time of year, we celebrated Izzy Grace’s second birthday! Who loves a tutu and tiara?

School ending also means more movie time! While we watch a lot of shows at home like Andy Griffith, there are animated cartoons and other shows out there as well. 

I don’t know about you, but I have been inundated lately with podcasts and articles warning about evil and the enemy attempting to lead Christians astray and keep people from knowing the forgiveness and hope of Jesus. The more I think and pray, the more I realize there is more going on than we can actually see with our eyes.

The enemy is out to steal the souls of our friends, family, and children. It is super important to be vigilant to keep out what is evil and contrary to God. I am rethinking back to ten years ago to our Sofia the First days, when my oldest loved the show. Even that show involved spells and sorcery.

Children will be taught how to think, and we get to choose to teach them what God says. If we don’t teach them how to think, the world will. We must not pretend the world is just happy and good. We can’t hide the evil forever and pretend there is no danger. We can, however, teach them to be sharp, and light the world with Truth. Obviously it must be age-appropriate. Right now, my two year old is enjoying the simplicities of chasing butterflies and reading books, but my sixth grader is learning to make choices about what movies to watch and music to listen to. She is also learning how to choose friends wisely and how to influence friends for Jesus.

 It seems difficult to know what it really means to set our minds on things above (Colossians 3:1-3). What we intake will shape us and own us. It’s important to know what singers are singing, what movies are portraying, and what tv shows are promoting so we can respond appropriately, but it’s also important to not be influenced by these in the process.

We all know “we are who are friends are” and the same is true for what we take in. If it’s a little bad here and a little bad there, soon it will seem normal and “not so bad.” We as adults need to be careful what we allow in our minds and for sure children need to be guarded in what they are allowed to watch and listen to.

What should we watch out for in tv, music, and movies?

Stuff that glorifies sin and rebellion
Jokes that mock God
Teachings there is no right or wrong way to live
Cursing and profanity
Stuff that glorifies new age ideas (witchcraft, self godhood)
Stuff that portrays horror and fearStuff that twists the Gospel (wealth over holiness, any way to salvation other than Jesus)
Stuff that mock biblical values
Stuff that normalizes sexual perversion and immorality

I love scary movies, especially in October, but I need to consider what I should watch and what I need to avoid. Many things are disguised as decent and wholesome, but actually are half-truths. We must be sharp and check everything with God’s Word to make sure it matches. After all, the enemy “your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour” (1 Peter 5:8). 

Jesus came to earth and suffered immense pain so we can be forgiven of our sin and have a relationship with Him forever (Romans 5:8). We talked through our devotion for Easter week today at lunch. We thought about how Jesus felt to have a close friend betray Him. It hurts to feel betrayal. We talked through how Mary might have felt as she watched her baby boy, now grown, be taunted, ridiculed, and spat on. We talked about how Jesus had done nothing wrong, but still was treated as a criminal. He endured all this mockery when He was actually God! He didn’t just prove Who He was as he was mocked and call the whole thing off. He obediently died on a cross and the real proof of His authority was shown when He rose from the dead and was no longer in the tomb!  He knew you would fail and need a Savior. He knew your name before you were born and chose to die for you. He knew you when He was dying on the cross and chose to take your place. 

It would be difficult to take the place of someone I love and die, but Jesus took the place of people He knew would mock Him. No person is ever out of the reach of God’s love and every single person is redeemable. You may know someone you think is just “too far gone,” but anyone can experience change through Jesus. You are never too far gone either. He loves you no matter what you have done. 

Let’s know God’s Word and become sharp and alert! Let’s use those preschool Bible cards we get from church and read them at lunch time, and even put them between our toes (that’s Krew for ya).

As we celebrate the amazing love of Jesus Christ, let us be careful what we allow in and be sure to watch and listen to what will glorify His name!

Love,
Charis

Pic(k) of the week:

I found some laundry fairies hard at work!