Bad breath is the least of your worries!

Your best days, as a parent and as a family, are ahead of you! Your future is bright - not because of your jokes or story telling, not because of your career or money making capacities - but because of something far more important.

NBFamilies is committed to acknowledging, training, engaging, and holding parents accountable as the persons primarily responsible for the discipleship of their children.

It will happen. You kids will observe what is closest to you heart, and it will become important to them too – both good things and bad things.

Moses instructed God’s people to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” He said, “These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart.” Finally he warned that the passing down this greatest commandment (Matthew 22:36-40) to their kids is to be their highest responsibility!

Deuteronomy 6:4-7 “Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 6 These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. 7 Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

The wisdom of Proverbs 4:20-23 reminds parents, especially fathers, how essential is this responsibility.

Proverbs 4:20-23 My son, pay attention to my words;
listen closely to my sayings. 21 Don’t lose sight of them;
keep them within your heart. 22 For they are life to those who find them,
and health to one’s whole body. 23 Guard your heart above all else,
for it is the source of life.

Jesus warned that the parent’s hearts are revealed by what comes out of their mouths.

Luke 6:45 [Jesus said] A good man produces good out of the good storeroom of his heart. An evil man produces evil out of the evil storeroom, for his mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart.

Matthew 15:18-19 But what comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and this defiles a man. 19 For from the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual immoralities, thefts, false testimonies, blasphemies.

What are our kids hearing come out of our mouths? What are our mouths revealing about what is important to us?

The heart is our vital, life or death generating core. A healthy heart produces a healthy life. A wicked heart produces a wicked life. A strong heart produces a strong life. A weak heart produces a weak life. A righteous heart produces a righteous life. The heart is our emotional and spiritual core, either in a positive or negative way, depending on our character. Is my heart a gospel-centered heart? Or is my heart an idol-centered heart?

Positive ways the heart responds:

• The heart cries out to God (Psalms 84:2).
• The heart rejoices in God Psalms 13:5).
• The heart sings to the Lord (Psalms 57:7).
• The heart expresses joy in search of God’s salvation (Psalms 105:3; 1 Chronicles 16:10; 1 Samuel 2:1; Zephaniah 3:14).
• The heart experiences joy and gladness when people devote themselves entirely to God and keep His commandments (1 Kings 8:61).
• The heart rejoices in God’s presence (Psalms 16:9; 33:21).
• The law of the Lord restores the soul and gives joy to the heart (Psalms 19:8; Psalms 119:111-112).
• The healthy heart is the vessel of wisdom (Proverbs 2:10; 4:21; 7:3; 10:8; 16:21, 23; 22:17; Job 22:22; 33:3; Isaiah 32:4).
• The healthy heart enables sensible decision-making (Proverbs 22:17; Ecclesiastes 7:2; Isaiah 32:4; Ezekiel 40:4; 44:5).
• The heart retains knowledge of God’s promises (Joshua 23:14).

Negative ways the heart responds:

• The heart can experience fatigue (Psalms 38:10).
• The heart can experience anguish (Jeremiah 4:19).
• The heart can experience bitterness (Psalms 73:21).
• The heart can experience despair (Psalms 61:2).
• The heart can experience disorientation (Psalms 22:14).
• The heart can experience fear (1 Samuel 24:5).
• The heart can experience sadness (1 Samuel 1:8).
• The heart can experience sickness (Proverbs 13:12).
• The heart can experience sexual seduction (Proverbs 6:25; Ezekiel 16:30).
• The heart can contain lust (Job 31:9; Proverbs 6:25).
• The heart can contain uncontrollable temptations (Job 31:7).
• The heart can contain wickedness (Psalms 141:4).
• The heart can experience an aggressive pursuit of dishonest and selfish gain (Jeremiah 22:17; Ezekiel 13:31).

In “Gods at War.” (Zondervan, 2013), Kyle Idleman complied six questions that can help you identify the false gods that compete with God for priority in your heart.

1. What Disappoints You?
2. What Do You Complain about the Most?
3. Where Do You Make Financial Sacrifices?
4. What Worries You?
5. Where Is Your Sanctuary?
6. What Infuriates You?

What has God revealed to you about your heart condition? What needs to be done to repair what you kids have been observing? Do you have any apologies to make (to God?, to your spouse?, to you kids?)? What are our kids hearing come out of our mouths? What are our mouths revealing about what is important to us?

Your best days are ahead of you!

Dr. Phil Sallee, Pastor
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Hard Hearts

The men on Wed nights and Tuesday mornings have begun a book study on Romans. This week we are covering Romans 1:18 through 3:20. One of the questions asked at the end of this portion of the study is "what convicts you the most in this study?". I was drawn to the importance of the substance of our heart.

Romans 1:21 "because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts and their foolish hearts were darkened."

Romans 1:24 "Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor themselves,"

Romans 2:5 "But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgement of God,"

All men and women are born into sin. Sin began with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Our hearts are sinful without God. Paul explains in Romans 2:28-28 "For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God."

John MacArthur explains in this study of Romans that "he is a Jew" in verse 29 is talking about the "true child of God" has a heart separated from sin unto God.

This message is for all believers. Those that truly believe in Jesus Christ, should have a heart separated from sin unto God. Jesus Christ cleanses us from that sin by His sacrifice on the cross.

Do you have a heart, in the Spirit that has been "circumcised from sin", "separated from sin unto God?"

If the answer is YES, parents and grandparents, how do we provide the instruction for our children and grand-children so that they will not be given over to their "foolish hearts, lusts of their hearts, hardness and impenitent hearts"? Can they see a heart in you that has been "circumcised from sin", "separated from sin unto God?"

Terry Langenberg
Twitter: TheLangenberg
Facebook: TheLangenberg

You're watching that!?

I have a little secret.  Some know it but most probably don't know how deep it goes.  It's something I have been involved in for sometime.  I've read about it, study it and have spent countless hours participating in it... I love movies!  And not like, "Hey, I enjoy a good flick every now and then" but like I have watched all 100 of the AFI's top movies (both lists), have seen every Academy award winning Best Picture and most of the 'Best Picture' nominees from each year.  Though many like going to movies to be entertained I go to experience the art... the emotion, the story telling, the dialogue and the cinematography.  I love it anytime someone can tell you a story and draw you so far in you cry, are angry or laugh so hard you can't breath when they are finished.  But I also love critically thinking about what the director was trying to convey and seeing if that "truth" is applicable to my life.  It's been my experience that most folks don't know why movies receive ratings they have or process the intent of movies very often.  For most individuals movies are just fun or about a plot they were drawn to.  I'm not saying it's wrong to go to a movie for purely entertainment reasons... that's why we have Marvel!  I just thought I would explain the ratings, show you a couple resources so you can be ahead of the curve and tell you about our 'Reel Time' event happening this summer at NBHighSchool.

So where do they get those ratings?

MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) is a group that pushes movies and technology forward through many different avenues but is most well known by the MPAA Rating System.  The rating system is voluntary for every film (though most theaters will not show a movie that hasn't received a rating) and decided by a group of 13 members from different backgrounds all with parenting experience to give a parent's perspective, crucial for the rating system.

Each movie is submitted by the production company, then reviewed by the MPAA board and issued a rating.  The production company then decides to release their film with the given rating or appeal the decision seeking a different rating (we have seen a rise in the winning of appeals in the past couple of years).

Current rating scales and reasons:

G — General Audiences. All Ages Admitted. A G-rated motion picture contains nothing in theme, language, nudity, sex, violence or other matters that, in the view of the Rating Board, would offend parents whose younger children view the motion picture. The G rating is not a "certificate of approval," nor does it signify a "children’s" motion picture. Some snippets of language may go beyond polite conversation but they are common everyday expressions. No stronger words are present in G-rated motion pictures. Depictions of violence are minimal. No nudity, sex scenes or drug use are present in the motion picture.

PG — Parental Guidance Suggested. Some Material May Not Be Suitable For Children. A PG-rated motion picture should be investigated by parents before they let their younger children attend. The PG rating indicates, in the view of the Rating Board, that parents may consider some material unsuitable for their children, and parents should make that decision. The more mature themes in some PG-rated motion pictures may call for parental guidance. There may be some profanity and some depictions of violence or brief nudity. But these elements are not deemed so intense as to require that parents be strongly cautioned beyond the suggestion of parental guidance. There is no drug use content in a PG-rated motion picture.

PG-13 — Parents Strongly Cautioned. Some Material May Be Inappropriate For Children Under 13. A PG-13 rating is a sterner warning by the Rating Board to parents to determine whether their children under age 13 should view the motion picture, as some material might not be suited for them. A PG-13 motion picture may go beyond the PG rating in theme, violence, nudity, sensuality, language, adult activities or other elements, but does not reach the restricted R category. The theme of the motion picture by itself will not result in a rating greater than PG-13, although depictions of activities related to a mature theme may result in a restricted rating for the motion picture. Any drug use will initially require at least a PG-13 rating. More than brief nudity will require at least a PG-13 rating, but such nudity in a PG-13 rated motion picture generally will not be sexually oriented. There may be depictions of violence in a PG-13 movie, but generally not both realistic and extreme or persistent violence. A motion picture’s single use of one of the harsher sexually-derived words, though only as an expletive, initially requires at least a PG-13 rating. More than one such expletive requires an R rating, as must even one of those words used in a sexual context. The Rating Board nevertheless may rate such a motion picture PG-13 if, based on a special vote by a two-thirds majority, the Raters feel that most American parents would believe that a PG-13 rating is appropriate because of the context or manner in which the words are used or because the use of those words in the motion picture is inconspicuous.

R — Restricted. Children Under 17 Require Accompanying Parent or Adult Guardian. An R-rated motion picture, in the view of the Rating Board, contains some adult material. An R-rated motion picture may include adult themes, adult activity, hard language, intense or persistent violence, sexually-oriented nudity, drug abuse or other elements, so that parents are counseled to take this rating very seriously. Children under 17 are not allowed to attend R-rated motion pictures unaccompanied by a parent or adult guardian. Parents are strongly urged to find out more about R-rated motion pictures in determining their suitability for their children. Generally, it is not appropriate for parents to bring their young children with them to R-rated motion pictures.

NC-17 — No One 17 and Under Admitted. An NC-17 rated motion picture is one that, in the view of the Rating Board, most parents would consider patently too adult for their children 17 and under. No children will be admitted. NC-17 does not mean "obscene" or "pornographic" in the common or legal meaning of those words, and should not be construed as a negative judgment in any sense. The rating simply signals that the content is appropriate only for an adult audience. An NC-17 rating can be based on violence, sex, aberrational behavior, drug abuse or any other element that most parents would consider too strong and therefore off-limits for viewing by their children.

Great resources for parents and others to research each movie before going:

- IMDb (See: "Parents Guide" midway down on any specific movie selected)

- Plugged In (See: "Movie Nights" in the top right corner)

- Screen It (Unfortunately not free anymore but far more detailed than Plugged In)

- The Source for Parents (Great free spot for lots of resources including movie reviews)

Beginning next week (June 4^th) our annual summer program (Reel Time) is back!!  Every Wednesday night we will watch a great movie in its entirety, starting at our normal time of 6:30p but extending our evening by thirty minutes to accommodate the post-movie discussion for the summer (9:00p).  Statistics say, “90% of teenagers spend 20-40 hours a week in front of a screen…” That is a lot of time watching movies, television and videos!  While most kids simply ‘check their brains at the door,’ Reel Time wants to help teens think through movies.  We are proud to announce that this summer we have selected a batch of “old” movies, our hope is to create some excitement for great films and probably movies most of our students have never seen.

Details I want everyone to be aware of:

-   The Goal: Help teens develop skills to watch movies with a filter (helping them spot the lies Hollywood is trying to sell them as well as find redeeming qualities to share their faith with others)

-      Every Wednesday this summer (June 4^th – Aug. 13^th), in the Loft (the 4^th floor of New Beginnings: 4104 East 151^st Street South) starting at 6:30pm-9:00p (Doors open at 6p)!!

-       Please feel welcome to attend any or all of the movies with us this summer (We have couches J)!!

-       Here’s this summer’s movies and their main discussion points:

o   12 Angry Men (Judgment)

o   A Place in the Sun (Image)

o   Chariots of Fire (Commitment)

o   Dead Poets Society (Pressure)

o   Elephant Man (Acceptance)

o   Going My Way (Calling)

o   Patch Adams (Passion)

o   Pleasantville (Youth Culture)

o   Shane (Sacrifice)

o   Simon Birch (Purpose)

o   Quiz Show (Integrity)

*These films will be viewed through our ClearPlay unit (www.clearplay.com)

**There will be a weekly sheet covering the plot of the film & follow-up quetsions

We understand that movies are possibly a major issue in your home.  Please pray that our time would be effective in supporting what you are already teaching at home and that God would use this as another way to train students in finding real Truth. 

The Bergs

**Follow Jeff (Family Pastor of High School), also known as "surgeberg" on: Facebook, Twitter & Instagram