how to stop the bullying

I don't think it is a big secret that our country is in need of some major prayer.

i am no history buff, but it does not take a rocket scientist to put two and two together and see what is going on.
remove God. remove prayer. remove the Bible.
the results are what we see today.

we kick and scream and fight to make sure the Bible stays out of the schools.
then we run and scream in fear when people start
bullying.
lying.
showing disrespect to teachers.
killing.

all things that the Bible teaches kids not to do.
it's hard to miss the correlation there.

i recently read an article about a woman who asked several teenagers what they thought the main reason for the increase in youth violence.
she thought their responses would be...the media. video games.

but it was not.

they said parents.
parents!
they said they felt so isolated and alone because their parents were either so busy working, or on their computers or iphones. even when they are home...they are not really home.

wow. pretty interesting.

see...the problem is a heart issue.
i see it constantly.
teenagers want attention and love.
what does love from a parent to a child look like?
it looks like quality time. consistent discipline. words of affirmation.
all of those things together!

but they are not getting that at home.
now. do not get me wrong.
james 1 makes it very very clear.
we sin when we are tempted by our own desires.
it is our choice to sin or not to sin.
we can not blame our upbringing or our parents.

all i am saying is this.
we, as parents need a heart change.
our kids need a heart change.

what that heart change looks like, is getting off our high horses and thinking that we know all the answers.
to stop thinking that we are so cool and are keeping up with the times by changing our standards and beliefs based on our...feelings!

the heart change looks like taking a stand on something that has never changed and will never change.
did you know that our laws starting from the mayflower compact all the way to the constitution of the 50 states came from the BIBLE? interesting facts about that here

all this to say.
the way adam and i are trying to stop the bullying in our town?
by praying for each individual teenager that we know.

because the bottom line is this.
punishing a kid for bullying may stop him for a while.
but getting him to change his heart to want to do right will change him forever.

we believe that Jesus is the only one who can change your life.
He is the one who can soften the hearts of these bullying boys (and girls) we see every day.
and that is what we are doing.

i will be starting a monday morning prayer time at the porch very soon.
i would like to specifically pray for the needs of the teenagers in our town.
i want to document what i see now, and the changes that i will start to see.
because i believe the Bible when it says that the prayers of a righteous man are powerful and effective.
and since i believe that to be true, i believe that if we pray...good things will happen.
i want to see heart changes in all the kids of this town.
i am praying for a revival to start in me.
and for that revival to go all down pleasant street.
right into main street.
and all throughout the town.

so excited to see what God is going to do
and to start seeing this bullying problem slow down!

So how can we stop the bullying?
We can start a little at a time.
Let's start teaching our own kids how to love and show self control when they are being bullied...not to bully back!

Let's start ourselves...when we have someone wrong US - we can love and show self control as well!
It can happen one at a time.
Let's start working together