This is great, and a shocking find at an NBC affiliate, a decent article on a church. Watch and read it here.
Ken Diehm, the senior pastor at First United Methodists Church asked his congregation last week to text him about the commercials they want him to preach about.
“The commercials are selling us things and I want people in the church to think about what they’re being sold and how it relates to their faith,” Diehm said.
I am completely impressed with a pastor ASKING his congregation to THINK through advertising! No clue what else he preaches on, but this is good!
Has McDonald’s got YOUR toddler? The lure of McDonald’s golden arches may take hold at a startlingly early age, according to the latest study on the effects of branding on young children published in the August issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1650268,00.html?xid=feed-cnn-topics&iref=werecommend
Think through this…..this is the essence of the relentless pursuit of selling to your children.
If you were looking for yet another reason to educate your children at home, away from the pressures of fitting in, read this telling article http://www.cnn.com/2007/LIVING/homestyle/07/31/student.luxury.ap/index.html
Shopping for back-to-school apparel is a late summer ritual. But as tweens and teens become increasingly savvy about fashion, they’re asking for luxury products, such as $200 designer handbags and $100-plus jeans.
Industry trade group The International Council of Shopping Centers expects back-to-school sales will grow 5 percent in 2007 to $27 billion.
… Celente, publisher of Trends Journal, said that while teens might not have full time jobs, they don’t have many expenses either, so they spend all their money on themselves.
Youth research company Teenage Research Unlimited, said teenagers between 12 and 19 years old spent $179 billion in 2006, or $102 per teen per week.
“(Teens) don’t have mortgages to pay and they don’t have rent,” Celente said. “They have disposable income.”
Disposable income? Absolutely - I began babysitting at 12 and had my first real job at 15 and worked all through high school. I had disposable income then, and just like teens today, spent it! Only I was not as heavily marketed to, didn’t look to teen idols for my identity and “fashion sense” and spend it all trying to achieve someone else’s look. I did have the sense to buy stuff that I could furnish my dorm with, and later my first homes and dabbled with the thought of being a designer, so created a lot of my own outfits, saving a lot of money! I was creative.
Look at the broader point - a $200-$1600 handbag as a 16 year old, and a $125 pair of sunglasses, the “luxury accessories of youth with a disposable income” comes at a high price for future security. Spend today, the money is gone tomorrow.
And I wonder, what would happen to Generation Luxury if we led them to the scriptures, and to see that the Lord calls for moderation in all things. If we showed our young men Psalm 112, and encouraged them to “fear the Lord and greatly delight in His commandments…The generation of the upright will be blessed….His heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord….He has given freely to the poor.” If we encouraged our girls to read Proverbs 31, and to pattern their lives after her diligent, prudent lifestyle. She is elegant and wears the FINEST clothing, yet she is so much more. From taking care of her husband and bringing him honor in the gates, to running and creating a beautiful home, to her industry in considering fields and investing wisely, to wise instruction, the Proverbs 31 woman is a prudent wife indeed! What would happen if we encouraged Generation Luxury to get something of great quality, and invest the rest, for the future, whether that is an education or a new computer, learning a new skill, an animal to begin breeding, an acre of land, a camcorder to make documentaries, or something of substance that can be used to increase their knowledge and ability to earn a living in the future. Or, we could help Generation Luxury understand the nuances of real estate, money market accounts and encourage them to INVEST their money, rather than just spend it on today’s luxuries, that are gone with the trend of celebrity tomorrow. We can teach them that it is a fickle world, and how to navigate that insatiable desire for things, or we can be ‘proud’ that they blew a months worth of paychecks on a pair of $200 flats that will be out next summer.
Lord, give us new eyes to see your world. Give us strength to put aside our flesh and weaknesses, as we train our children. Let us turn to your precious word as we train our children to you, and away from the baubles of the world…..