As a blog reader and most likely a faithful Plugged In user, let me ask you: How many people would you guess make up the Plugged In team here at Focus on the Family? 30? 20? 15? Actually none of these. Although we tackle films, video games, television and music, and broadcast our thoughts and reviews via our website, smartphone apps, radio features and a television feature, the Plugged Inteam is comprised of a mere seven people. I feel incredibly fortunate to oversee and be part of such a talented, hard-working bunch. But what impresses me most is that everyone on my team loves the Lord with all their heart and has a passion for media discernment.
I include myself in that last sentence. Although I became a Christian at age 15, it wasn’t until I was in my twenties that the Lord got through to me in this area of media discernment. When I became a believer, there were a number of sins and habits that needed His lordship. Some necessary changes occurred almost instantly, but obeying Him with my entertainment choices wasn’t on the list.
So how did God get my attention concerning media? He finally got through my thick skull during the years I served as a youth pastor. It wasn’t through a sermon on purity or the need to be holy as He is holy. I’d heard and taught on those topics many times. But for some reason I’d never felt they applied to entertainment.
Fortunately, a young man in my youth group gave me a cassette tape (remember those?) that addressed contemporary music and the need for discernment from a biblical perspective. Looking back, it seems strange that this particular teen would have handed me a teaching tape of any kind; he just wasn’t the type. I have to think the Lord was leading him, since this must have been outside his comfort zone.
Equally strange is the fact that I actually listened to this tape. I even played it the very day he gave it to me—a day the youth group took a ski trip on the church bus. As was my custom, we listened to a hard-rock station as far as the signal would reach. Then I stuck in this teaching cassette. The whole busload of passengers could have listened, too; whether anyone else was affected as I was is unclear. But what I heard changed my life—and my calling.
As this Bible teacher spoke through the low-budget speakers of our bus, he combined biblical truth with real-life application, concentrating mostly on popular music and its influence. That mixture really convicted me.
In retrospect, I can see Bible verses alone hadn’t gotten the job done for me because they hadn’t seemed to apply. I needed to grasp what God’s Word had to do with the dark music I’d championed for so many years. Once the speaker on this tape pointed this out, and I grappled with the concept of honoring Christ with my musical selections, I was able to apply that to other forms of entertainment as well.
For me, the lightbulb had finally come on.
In the book I wrote about media discernment, Plugged-In Parenting, I ask readers to talk with their pastor or youth pastor, asking them if they’d be willing to do a message on this topic. What I didn’t say in the book, but am prepared to say now, is this: If your church, youth group, camp, conference or any other gathering is needing a speaker who is passionate about the subject of honoring Christ with his/her entertainment choices, call us here at Plugged In. While no one on my team is launching into a full-time speaker “ministry,” there are definitely possibilities for us to cover more speaking engagements than we currently do. In the past, we’ve responded to what happened to come our way. With this blog, I want to be more intentional and let you know that we’d be happy to share with the people in your life when we can. If the floodgates open with this blog and the requests far outnumber our ability to respond, we’ll deal with that if we have to. In the meantime, we’ll just see what happens.
My hope is that just as a message on media discernment changed my life, it might change many others. And as of today, the Plugged In team stands ready to help. To request a Plugged In team member as a speaker, call Shirley Jackson, at 719-531-3403.
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