Prayerful Parenting ©
Fall 2001 Messages

Segment One: Halloween

Welcome to Prayerful Parenting©. This is Dr. Linda Karges-Bone and I love the season of Autumn. It is my favorite time of year. Crisp weather, tart apples, colorful leaves. The only part that brings me down is Halloween. What is Halloween anyway? It is the remains of an ancient pagan ritual, re- packaged as a family event. Don't be fooled. Witches are real. The devil is a dangerous force to invite into your home and Halloween is a waste of your time and money. Ephesians 6:12 says it best: "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." As Christians, we need to use discernment in dealing with Halloween. I have allowed my children to make simple costumes such as bunny rabbits and ballet dancers and knock on next door neighbor's door for candy. Beyond that, I have some real concerns. Scary costumes scare children. That is psychologically damaging. Scary talk of the devil and witchcraft scare me. Halloween is spiritually dangerous and I'm not afraid to admit it.

Segment Two : Marriage is Good For You

Welcome to Prayerful Parenting©. I love Sunday mornings. Of course, spending time in worship is a privilege and a blessing, but I also look forward to a strong pot of coffee, a toasted bagel, and the Sunday paper. Hidden deep in the crevices of sales' circulars is the glossy magazine section and this week's edition was fascinating. It was about the top seven ways to stay healthy. I'll bet you can guess a few of them. No smoking. Keep the weight off. And, stay married. That's no joke. A long marriage is a part of graceful, healthy aging. This is Dr. Linda Karges-Bone, and God's word told us long ago what an expensive study now reports: "Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth." Proverbs 5:18. In a long, healthy marriage, partners use humor to settle disputes, learn how to compromise, practice controlling their anger, and show respect for one another's differences. Scripture is clear. God hates divorce. He has His reasons, and one of them may be because He knows that a strong, loving marriage is one of the greatest blessings to be had during our time on this earth.

Segment Three: Abundantly Autumn

Welcome to Prayerful Parenting©.Psalm 90 reminds us to ask God to "Teach us to number our days and recognize how few they are." In the short, quickly darkening days of Autumn, there is an abundance of blessings to remember. This is Dr. Linda Karges-Bone, and this autumn, why don't you take your toddler to an orchard or a market and pick out a bushel of apples? How about going walking through the autumn leaves with your spouse? Take a group of teens to a country fair and eat some shamelessly fattening elephant ears or cotton candy. Autumn is a good season to thank God for your family, for their health and for your opportunity to be a wife, a husband, a parent. It is a time of harvest and a time for thanksgiving. Don't forget to thank our provider for all of His blessings to your family.

Segment Four: Trust During Troubled Times

Welcome to Prayerful Parenting© Tuesday September 11, 2001 has been called the second Pearl Harbor. Most of us will remember forever the feelings of horror and disbelief, and will re-tell the details of where we were and who we were with when the planes crashed into the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. This is Dr. Linda Karges-Bone, and as Prayerful Parents, we need to remember that the children around us are also experiencing these difficult days. One counselor friend told of the young child who cannot sleep at night and who is fearful all day long because of "those bad mens what fly planes in your house and kills you". Let's be careful about what we tell children who are under 10 years of age and of what we allow them to see on television. Remember, young children are egocentric, meaning that they experience the world through the lens of their small world. If bad mens are in NY, they could be anywhere. But also teach your children to trust God. Matthew 14: 27 gives us the words of Jesus: "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid. Remind the children around us that the bad mens do not control this world; only one good God is in control.

Segment Five: Harry Potter Books and Wicca

Welcome to Prayerful Parenting©. If you want to get a flood of negative mail, have your magazine column threatened, and be portrayed as a right wing religious nut, then please do what I did, and dare to suggest that the wildly famous Harry Potter books celebrate the occult and might not be the best reading choice for children. This is Dr. Linda Karges-Bone, and I teach children's literature, among other things, at a Christian University. I also write stories for children, so I know my kiddie lit, and the Harry Potter books scare me. True, they are lively, full of wonderful prose and fascinating characters, but they are set in a school of witchcraft and wizardry and there are many dark, witchcraft driven situations that make the occult look inviting. When I suggested this in my column in a teacher's magazine, the result was predictable, but what concerns me most is the response from kids. They were very honest and a typical letter said that "Yes, there is witchcraft or the occult, but not everybody thinks that is bad." One teacher chastised me for not noting that witchcraft is a well respected religion and another child told me that while it was true that there is witchcraft and the occult in the books, there is also "lots of other good stuff", so don't worry about it. Kids acknowledge that the occult is the mainstay of these books. 1 Thessalonians 5:21 says to "Examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good and abstain from every form of evil." That may include one of the best selling series of books of all time.

Segment Six: Whom Does Your Family Serve?

Welcome to Prayerful Parenting© When I was a young bride, and that was 22 years ago, I was really excited about fixing up our little house. It was the trend at that time to go to "Home Decorating" parties, where women would buy candles, silk flowers, and pretty pictures to make their homes more beautiful and make their husbands furious when the bank statement came in. Ah well, the good old days! This is Dr. Linda Karges-Bone, and one of the first home decorating prizes that I brought home and the only one that I have kept over the years is a simple, home-spun print that announces the words of Joshua 24:15: "Choose for yourselves today whom you will serve; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." The colors and background of the print are clearly out of style today and don't match my décor, but they match my spirit perfectly. Over the years, when my family, my marriage, my attitude have been in trouble, I can honestly say it was because I had not been choosing to serve God first and with fervor. Maybe your family is struggling today. Examine yourself honestly, no matter how painful it may be. Whom are you serving? Your house will only be blessed if it is Jehovah God.

Segment Seven: Harvest-Time Contentment

Welcome to Prayerful Parenting© On Monday September 17th, when the US stock markets re-opened after the terrorist attacks, the Dow dropped almost 700 points. A lot of people lost a lot of money. With so many workers invested in 401-K and other stock-reliant retirement funds, a plunging market affects most of us. This is Dr. Linda Karges-Bone, and here's a word for Prayerful Parents who are feeling anxious about their financial futures: "Better is little with the fear of the Lord than a great treasure and turmoil with it. Better is a dish of vegetables where love is than a fattened ox and hatred with it." Proverbs 15:15. The market may inconvenience you or even disrupt a few plans, but it has no hold over your future and your family. That was secured when you accepted Christ as your savior. He knows what I need and He knows what you need and we're not going to starve. So pass the vegetables and be thankful for the fact that we can eat them in contentment and in freedom, in a country that God is watching and protecting.

Segment Eight: Fathers Must Provide

Welcome to Prayerful Parenting© This is a message for fathers. Young daddies. Busy fathers. Wise grand-dads. You have no idea how important you are, nor how long-lasting and deep your impact on a family. I'm Dr. Linda Karges-Bone, and as a counselor and teacher, few stories touch my heart the way that those involving absent, abusive, or angry fathers do. As a father, you must provide for the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of your family. There is no excuse for your absence, no treatment that heals your abuse, and no protection against your anger that will be accepted by our Lord. Listen to 1 Timothy 5:8: "But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an unbeliever." I am so tired of hearing about struggling single mothers, frightened children, and bitter teenagers who suffer because a man won't be a real man, a godly man, and do his job. I'm warning you, any man who is listening, God will take care of your families if you can't, and He will deal with you if you won't.

Segment Nine: Special Thanksgiving Message

Welcome to Prayerful Parenting© This is Dr. Linda Karges-Bone, and I want to share a special Thanksgiving message with you during a time when our nation is poised for the first war of the 21st century. But wait, that isn't quite accurate. As believers, we know that the first war has been waging for decades perhaps centuries. I'm speaking of the war described in Ephesians 6:11: "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." We have been engaged in a spiritual battle against wickedness and the schemes of the devil, and now it has become physical. So, this Thanksgiving season, put aside the things of this world and thank God for your family, for your marriage, for your church, for the food on your table. Things may become very hard before this war is over, but we have much to be thankful for. Perhaps these hard times will serve to make us more aware of our blessings, and more needful for the protection and wisdom of our God.

Segment Ten: New TV Season Pushes Limits of Decency

Welcome to Prayerful Parenting© Just when Prayerful Parents thought that television couldn't possibly get any more violent, destructive, or pornographic, the Fall 2001 season proves us wrong. This is Dr. Linda Karges-Bone, and according to the Agape Press, parents should beware. Network television, worried by fierce competition from cable providers like HBO and Showtime, have launched a devious plan to win back viewers. They plan to push the limits of decency in the Fall line-up. According to the New York Times, the producer of NBC's The West Wing says that he hopes to break a longstanding network taboo this season. He wants a character to use the Lord's name in vain. Other networks have submitted scripts that contain more vulgarity and profanity than ever and expect that these scripts will be approved. Desperate for ratings, the networks have ditched decency and adopted vulgarity, and just in time for those long winter evenings in front of the television.

Share-A-Thon Message

Welcome to Prayerful Parenting© This is Dr. Linda Karges-Bone with a special Share-A-Thon 2001 message. For over a decade now, WKCL has helped me to develop a unique radio program that is committed to sharing the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as it relates to marriage, family, parenting, and educational issues. It is a ministry for me and a gift to the community from the station. And though we donate our time and talents, it does take dollars to run a broadcasting station. I encourage you to give generously to Share-A-Thon this year. Our nation is at war at home, and in our families. In the book of Ezekiel the Lord says that "they are a rebellious house" that will not hear the word of God. Join me and WKCL is bringing the truth to this rebellious house through the Prayerful Parenting program.

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