Police officers are now going undercover to to catch predators playing interactive games and they are making arrests. For example, a man in Utah was arrested after he enticed a 12-year-old boy into having sex through an online game. A similar situation occurred in Michigan and involved a 12-year-old girl.

Xbox, Playstation, and Wii all allow children to access the internet directly, but all of the have ways for parents to turn off the access to the internet or to track the content. We can’t cut off all the contact our children have with others, but we need to monitor internet contact as vigilantly as we monitor personal contact.

As a parent, it is important to recognize that any way children can communicate with others becomes a way that sexual predators can target your children. Technology invites sexual predators into the lives of our children. We have to be sure that we are keeping the door closed to cyberspace solicitations aimed at our children.

For the premise of the movie to work, the cancer patients have to have a doctor who is willing to be honest and tell his patients that they have a terminal illness and a limited time to live. Interestingly, research shows that most cancer doctors avoid telling their patients that the end is near. Only one third of doctors discussed end-of-life care with their patients, while two-thirds avoided the discussion.

The patients who knew they were nearing the end of their lives spent less time in the hospital during their final days and their loved ones were more at peace after they died.

Doctors seem to mistakenly believe that talking about death will make you die quicker. Yet patients crave these conversations because they want to know what they are up against. Without honest conversations about the end-of-life, patients feel abandoned because they have to face death alone because no one will discuss it.

Based on this research, it is apparent that talking about death has benefits for patients with cancer. There may be benefits for the rest of us as well. None of us know how long we are going to live. We all of the gift of only today. If we all acknowledged today is the only day we know we have, how would it change our day . . . our hours . . . our minutes?

We might all need to pay a little more attention to our “bucket list”.

The rest of the story is that Driver had six previous convictions related to cocaine and was free on bail on a cocaine possession charge. Driver never intentionally hurt his son, but he couldn’t create a safe environment for himself much less take care of his son. Driver maintained that he was innocent throughout the trial for his son’s death, but was sentenced to life in prison.

In my counseling practice, I work with children who have been removed from their parents’ care because their parents cannot keep them safe and meet their needs. Frequently, I have to describe for children the characteristics of a safe family because they have not ever lived in a family that is safe. In a safe family, the adults protect the children and meet their needs. In a safe family, no one hits, says ugly things, or engages in sexual activities with children. In a safe family, the grownups love and nurture their children and recognize that their children are fragile in many ways.

Many of us have grown up in safe families and take it for granted that children today are growing up in similar safe environments. Regrettably, many children live in homes with parents like Dennis Driver–parents who need help managing their own lives before they can provide a safe home for children.

I pray that God will provide safety for those children who are fragile and living in dangerous situations and that he will open my eyes to see the needs around me and help me find ways to make the world a safer place for children.

I wonder how much my interactions with others would change if I were on television. The camera would only record the outward behavior, not the intent of my actions. I would probably discover that I frequently act in ways that are consistent with what I am thinking or wanting to communicate to others. My parenting skills like Jon’s would probably improve if I were to see myself through the camera lens rather than through my own biases. I think today and tomorrow and the next day, I will try to imagine how the camera would record my actions.

1. Be fun to live with

2. Be respectful

3. Be responsible

If we can narrow parenting expectations down to these three rules, it makes it much simpler to address problem behaviors. If a child is not completing his chores, he is not being responsible. If a child is being rude, she is not being respectful. If a child is demanding and selfish, he is not being fun to live with.

In fact, those three rules are pretty good rules for parents as well as children. If we focus on being fun to be with, being respectful, and being responsible, we will be modeling some incredible behaviors for our children. Children learn what they see and live, not what they are told.

I don’t know how the situation is in the rest of the world, but in Lubbock, Texas, we need Christian families who will step up to the plate and provide foster homes and adoptive homes for children. I will be the first one to admit that foster care and adoption can be tough work for parents, but the rewards are tremendous. Many children who are in foster care and available for adoption don’t respond to typical parenting and need what I call “professional parenting.” Anyone who is committed and willing to learn can become a “professional parent.” It takes grit and determination, but all good parents have those qualities. If you have thought about adoption or foster care, please pray about it. We have literally thousands of children in Texas who need a family. If you are in the Lubbock area contact Stacy Parker at sparker@childshome.org. She will be more than happy to get you additional information. If foster care and adoption are not your ministry, please pray for our foster parents and kids in foster care. God is all powerful and he can work miracles in their lives.

According to the associated press, in response to the rising number of reports of teachers sexually abusing students, ten states have developed plans to crack down on sexually abusive teachers. The new measures in these ten states provide tougher penalties for teachers who abuse students, punishment for administrators who fail to provide adequate supervision of teachers, and educational initiatives to train teachers on how to recognize abusers in their midst.

Regrettably, we have reached the point as a society where these measures are necessary to provide a minimal level of protection for children. Those who should most be concerned about the safety of children have become those who prey on children.

While it is admirable that states are trying to take measures to address teachers sexually abusing children, the reality is that as parents we need to do everything we can to help protect our children. We have to be willing to talk with our children about sexual issues. By the time our children are five years of age, they should know how to recognize when someone is trying to touch them inappropriately. If you as a parent haven’t taught your children about sexual safety and they are five year of age or older, now it the time to start teaching them. If you need assistance in teaching them, God Made Me: The Safe Touch Coloring Book is designed to help you teach your children about sexual safety.

When the rain soaked my shoes, I kicked them off. I felt the cold water chill my feet as sweat mingled with rain on my face. I focused on the game, on the steady rhythm of dribble, pass, and shoot. The ball was slippery and the game was challenging. The feel of feet on wet concrete, hands grabbing wet leather, and muscles responding to commands are sensory memories that call me back to that night. A night of foolishness, freedom, and fun. A once in a lifetime moment.

That night is so memorable because I wasn’t focused on the thunder or the lightening (perhaps being quite foolish). I wasn’t worried about what would happen later that night or the next day. The only thing I was focused on was the rhythm of dribble, pass, and shoot. I was immersed in the moment. More than 25 years later I can still get lost in the memories of that night.

What I didn’t know that night was that it was the last time I would play basketball before I broke my back. I didn’t know that it would be a last opportunity to enjoy the rhythm of dribble, pass, and shoot without feeling pain. I didn’t know what would happen. I just had the moment.

Tonight, I smile as I watch the steady rhythm of the rain and remember that moment . . . remember the rhythm . . . remember a moment when I wasn’t concerned about the next hour or the next day.

Tonight as I fall asleep, I pray for more rain, more wet feet, more moments to remember.