16 Nov, 2007

What are your desires these days?

Here's the latest Youth Culture Top Ten Hot Lists. How are you being affected?

Which of these have you seen, heard, played, or searched for?

Movies 11/9/2007 - 11/11/2007

  1. Bee Movie, $26 mil
  2. American Gangster, $24.3 mil
  3. Fred Claus, $19.2 mil
  4. Lions for Lambs, $6.7 mil
  5. Dan in Real Life, $5.9 mil
  6. Saw IV, $5 mil
  7. The Game Plan, $2.4 mil
  8. P2, $2.2 mil
  9. 30 Days of Night, $2.1 mil
  10. Martian Child, $1.8 mil

Source: Box Office Mojo

Personal Computer Video Games Week Ending 11/3/2007

  1. Hellgate: London
  2. Hellgate: London Collectors Ed
  3. Half Life 2: Episode 2 The Orange Box
  4. Age of Empires III: Asian Dynasties
  5. The Sims 2 Bon Voyage
  6. Nancy Drew: Legend of the Crystal Skull
  7. Flight Simular X: Acceleration
  8. World of Warcraft
  9. The Witcher
  10. The Sims 2 Deluxe

Source: NPD Group

Artists on MTV.com 11/12/2007

  1. Britney Spears
  2. Chris Brown
  3. Lil Wayne
  4. 50 Cent
  5. T-Pain
  6. Paramore
  7. Rihanna
  8. Akon
  9. Alicia Keys
  10. Kanye West

Source: MTV.com

Online Music Videos 11/13/2007

  1. Soulja Boy - Crank That
  2. Alicia Keys - No One
  3. Britney Spears - Gimme More
  4. Chris Brown - Kiss Kiss
  5. Jordin Sparks - Tattoo
  6. Fergie - Big Girls Don't Cry
  7. Aly & AJ - Potential Breakup Song
  8. Akon - Sorry, Blame It On Me
  9. Sean Kingston - Beautiful Girls
  10. Soulja Boy - Soulja Girl

Source: Y! Music Videos

Radio Airplay (Top 40 Category) Week of 11/5/2007 - 11/11/2007

  1. Timbaland - Apologize
  2. Colbie Caillat - Bubbly
  3. Kanye West - Stronger
  4. Timbaland - The Way I Are
  5. Rihanna - Hate That I Love You
  6. Daughtry - Over You
  7. Pink - Who Knew
  8. Finger Eleven - Paralyzer
  9. Soulja Boy - Crank That
  10. Maroon 5 - Wake Up Call

Downloaded Songs Week of 11/12/2007

  1. Chris Brown - Kiss Kiss
  2. Timbaland - Apologize
  3. Alicia Keys - No One
  4. Colbie Caillat - Bubbly
  5. Soulja Boy - Crank That
  6. Fergie - Clumsy
  7. Finger Eleven - Paralyzer
  8. Matchbox Twenty - How Far We've Come
  9. Baby Bash - Cyclone

Source: i-Tunes

Searches on Yahoo! 11/12/2007

  1. Leaning Tower of Pisa
  2. Dancing With the Stars
  3. Christina Aguilera
  4. Britney Spears
  5. Katie Holmes
  6. Beyonce Knowles
  7. Hi-5
  8. WWE
  9. CMA Awards
  10. NFL

Source: Yahoo! Buzz Index

hot lists courtesy cpyu.org, 11/15/07

Galatians 5:16-19 (NLT)

16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. 17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. 18 But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.

19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures,

How does the scripture in today's God's Story connect to the media in today's culture?

In today's passage, Paul gets real specific with sensual sins. OUCH!

Every one of us struggle with evil desires. We can't ignore them. Most of them won't be noticed by others, but we all know that deep down, there's some pretty ungodly stuff being tossed around.

Paul says that if we're not letting the Holy Spirit control every part of our lives, our sinful nature is going to produce some sinful desires and result in evil.

You may not be sexually active, but if you allow your mind to be continually filled with impure values, doesn't it seem logical that in time you could become eager for lustful pleasures? Will you then have the strength to say no to sexual immorality?

If you are struggling with sensual sin, do you see the connection between what you are putting into your mind with what you are doing?

If we allow the Holy Spirit to control our minds, we will experience God's power to make Godly choices about what goes into our minds and hearts. If we don't, would we want anyone to see our TOP TEN thoughts?

How can we connect today's God's Story with our own lives?

  • Start by being honest about the connection between the media going into your head and your attitude, thoughts and actions.
  • Thank God for the power of His Holy Spirit to live a life that pleases Him. Confess your struggle with choosing to fill your thoughts with what is Godly and ungodly. Ask His Spirit to control your mind today, for an hour, or maybe just for the next minute! Thank Jesus that He promises you to be able to do with what is pleasing to your Heavenly Father when you abide in Him.
  • Memorize Galatians 5:16.
  • For one week, read today's scripture every day, slowly and aloud. Listen for some new thoughts and encouragement from Jesus.
  • For two weeks, keep a written journal of what goes into your mind from the media...your choices in movies, TV shows, magazines, music, video games, the Internet, and the Godly stuff....like time in His Word, prayer, worship, Bible studies at church or with friends at school or the work place, a Christian book, etc. At the end of the two weeks, evaluate which is having more impact on your mind? Make any needed adjustments.

How can we connect today's story, God's Story and our story to others?

  • With friends and family who are followers of Jesus, look at the hot lists together and talk about the connection to Galatians 5:16-19.
  • With friends and family who are not followers of Jesus, be careful not to preach at them or judge them for their media choices. Rather, be familiar with today's media, because this is part of knowing how to connect God's Story to their stories. You don't have to see all the movies or hear all the songs to know what's going on. Check out these resources: 3story.org; planetwisdom.com; cpyu.org; dare2share.org;
  • With the mind of Christ in you and a growing understanding of God's Story, you can listen to the media perspectives and experiences of those who need Jesus and find those moments to convey spiritual truth in a loving, thought-provoking way. This is part of connecting your story and God's Story to their stories.
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The Daily Bide is brought to you by a team of writers from Youth for Christ/USA. The writers all have various years of experience in youth ministry but share a common bond in serving Jesus and discovering what it means to abide deeply everyday and to connect God's Story with those around them. A number of the Daily Bide writers have also written portions of our 3Story® resources. You can check out our resources at the 3Story.org website or connect with our writers at 3story@yfc.net. If you have a question or a story you would like to share, please reference the Daily Bide date in your email.

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