Sharing Courageous

http://www.courageousthemovie.com/

Fireside – Conversations by the Fire about Nurturing Home and Family

Each time I put up a post in the Fireside category, I close with “Because families are worth fighting for”. I believe in this wholeheartedly. Families are most definitely worth fighting for, and fathers are an extremely important part of the family equation.

Unfortunately, in our society today there aren’t many who are committed to fighting for the family unit. Many fathers do not recognize the critical importance of their role and the impact their involvement – or lack thereof - has on their wives and children. This fact is communicated in the movie “Courageous.” We went to see it last night. It’s one of the best movies I have seen in a long time. It made me weep, and left me wanting to clap and cheer at the end. This movie speaks a message that desperately needs to be heard by all daddies, sons who will one day be daddies, and by those who feel a stirring in their soul to mentor children whose daddies are not active in their lives.

The strong sense of ambivalence and lack of commitment concerning family has impacted our local communities, our nation, and society as a whole. Unfortunately, our kids have gotten lost in the process. They are the innocent victims. Listen to these statistics. (I’ve made some alterations to some of the words to prevent my blog from attracting the wrong traffic.)

10 million youth aged 12-20 have consumed alcohol in the past 30 days.

63% got alcohol from their own or friends’ homes.

Teens who begin drinking before age 15 have a 40% higher chance of becoming alcohol dependent than those who wait to begin drinking until the age of 21.

*www.centurycouncil.org/www.cafeprevention.org

22% of teens have given birth in their teens.

*NationMaster

20% of teens overall have posted n*de or semi-n*de photos or videos of themselves. It is common for those photos to be shared with others.

15% have sent n*de/semi-n*de photos to people they only know online.

39% of teens have texted s*xually suggestive messages while 58% have received s*xting messages.

*pcsnDreams

Average age of first internet exposure to p*rn is age 11.

93% of boys and 62% of girls are exposed to p*rn before the age of 18.

70% of boys have spent more than 30 minutes viewing internet p*rn on at least one occasion. 35% have done this more than 10 times.

*www.covenant eyes.com/www.internet-filter-review.toptenreviews.com

1 or 2 out of every 100 kids will struggle with eating disorders

*www.kidshealth.org

Teens cut (self-harm) to have control, relieve tension, numb out, and express anger.

1 in 200 girls have cut themselves.

*www.teenbreaks.com

Our children are completely at risk. They are being preyed upon everyday. They desperately need men of integrity who will rise up, fight courageously for their families, and make it a priority to be the best daddies they can be. If they did, many of those statistics would drop dramatically, our families would be stronger, and our world would be a much different place.

Please go see this movie and tell all your friends about it!

Because Families are Worth Fighting For . . .

Lisa ~