G rated outdoor advertising in Australia

Sent: Monday, April 05, 2010 7:58 PM
Subject: {Disarmed} THE FIGHT IS ON FOR G RATED OUTDOOR ADVERTISING


Update from Wendy Francis - 2 weeks ago I started a facebook page - OUTDOOR
ADVERTISING SHOULD BE G RATED. Today, 2 weeks later, there are over 2,600 on
that page. There has been a good amount of media interest and we are now
embarking on a billboard campaign calling for outdoors to be G rated as far
as advertising goes. The reasons for this are numerous and probably obvious.
The main driving force for me is for the protection of our children's minds.
Below is a media release that has been sent out today fyi. If you would like
to join the campaign go to my website www.wendy4senate.com and find out how.
Please don't hesitate to contact me for any more information.

Kind regards

Wendy



MEDIA RELEASE - THE FIGHT IS ON FOR G RATED OUTDOOR ADVERTISING

Family First's fight to make outdoor advertising G rated gained momentum
over Easter as a flood of public support flowed in to launch a billboard
assault against billboards displaying sexualised images and messages.



In less than 2 weeks over 2600 people have joined a facebook group calling
for Outdoors to be a G rated environment.



Wendy Francis, Family First's Lead Senate Candidate for Queensland, said
people are fed up with outdoor advertising shoving inappropriate messages
into the faces of children.



Australia's children were being robbed of their innocence, Wendy told a
family forum over Easter. Speaking at a 4-day convention attended by more
than 1000 people on Mount Tamborine, Mrs Francis said the current social
environment was bombarding children every day with messages promoting
promiscuity, drugs, alcohol and reckless behaviour - just to name a few.
"These negative influences are robbing children of their innocence, and
plundering the childhood they deserve," Mrs Francis said.



With a take on the billboard ads "Longer Lasting Sex," Family First has
launched a "counter-attack" planning "Longer lasting Childhood" ads in a
billboard campaign to "make the outdoors G rated." Incensed at brazen
adult-theme advertising, Mrs Francis said, "It's not logical that images
prohibited from prime time television are up there for all to see 24/7".



"This campaign has great community support, and I believe it will be a giant
step forward in pulling back the sexualisation of our culture that is
currently occurring at a rapid pace," Mrs Francis said.



She is confident of raising the funds to run a 6 month billboard campaign
saying simply "Outdoor Advertising Should be G Rated."



Mrs Francis also has plans to use a Galaxy Poll and bumpers stickers in the
fight. She will host a summit this month in Brisbane with a number of
supporting community groups to discuss strategy for the campaign including
the National Civic Council, Family Council of Qld, Collective Shout and the
Bioethics Centre of Qld.



kind regards

Wendy Francis

Lead Senate Candidate

FAMILY FIRST because some things are worth fighting for

www.wendy4senate.com

facebook - wendyjoyfrancis

twitter - wendy4senate

Wendy Francis

Grief

What is it?

I have always loved psychology and have found it fascinating in terms of how if reflects human nature. I find it so amazing that people don't realise how brilliant the Christian World view is in terms of offering help to people in stressful situations and people who face grief and depression etc. A good understanding of the Bible goes a long way to help with recovery. I have had two secular professionals advise me on how to manage a child using excellent Biblical principals without understanding that that was where they got them from.

As I have watched my children working through a grieving situation over the past few weeks as we have prepared them to leave our dear and precious friends at church, my heart has ached to see their grief at saying goodbye to their friends. My little PDD.NOS girl sobbed when I corrected her for being rude and grumpy...."I am not being rude and grumpy," she shouted, "I am just sad, that is how I am when I am sad." She also told a sibling she was so sad she felt as if she was dying inside. For her it is brilliant that she can explain herself so well. Although she has had some totally irrational moments to remind me to be very careful with her frailness at present. In the providence of God she has a beautiful sister, 2 years older than her, who loves God and who has spent all day playing and talking with her. And this little girl has a birthday party next weekend which she helped me plan in finer detail today. I can slowly see her aching ease a bit. She wrote a story about an orphan who was hurt and rescued by lovely new parents, I think she was able to realise that others hurt even more than she does.

It led me to think that I don't know much about grief in the whole Apergers, PDD, autistic etc area. Can anyone help me with links? Apart from the fact that I hate generalisations, it would be helpful research. I looked up the stages of grief again.....here are two different versions, the first would be the traditional view.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%BCbler-Ross_model

http://www.recover-from-grief.com/7-stages-of-grief.html


Sometimes it takes a while before we can stand back and see things in clear perspective, but God can always see the bigger picture! He has a plan and a purpose for our lives and for each of our children's. As we are faithful to Him, so He will undertake for us.May we honour and glorify our wonderful God in the process, may our children be enfolded in His love as a mother hen gathers her chicks beneath her wings, and may they grow strong in their love for Him! May they be able to do mighty things with their lives as a consequence of good and passionate love!

Post-mortem kindesses

From Grace Gems

Today's Puritan Audio Devotional:

The art of living a Christian life
J. R. Miller Play Audio! Download MP3

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Post-mortem kindnesses

(J. R. Miller)

Do not keep the alabaster boxes of your affection sealed and laid away--until your friends are dead. Fill their present days with tenderness. Speak your words of commendation, while their ears can hear them! The things you mean to say when they are dead and gone--say before they go! The flowers you mean to send for their coffins--send beforehand to brighten and sweeten their homes, before they leave them forever!

I have often said--and I know I speak for thousands of other weary, plodding toilers--that if my friends have vases laid away, filled with the perfumes of sympathy and affection, which they intend to break over my dead body--I would far rather they would bring them out now along my toilsome days and open them--when I can enjoy them and be refreshed by them!

Post-mortem kindnesses do not cheer the burdened spirit. Tears falling on the icy brow of death, make poor and too tardy atonement for coldness, neglect, and cruel selfishness in life's long, struggling years. Appreciation, after the heart is stilled in death--has no inspiration for the departed one; it comes too late, when it is pronounced only in funeral eulogies. Flowers piled on the coffin--cast no fragrance backward over weary days.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

We have posted Grace Gems for MARCH in one file!

Grace Gems (choice ELECTRONIC books, sermons & quotes)

Grace Audio Treasures (choice AUDIO sermons)

Sovereign Grace Treasures (choice PRINTED books)

FREE Reformed Baptist SS materials

http://ss.grbc.net/

Did I say I was praying for free materials for churches in Africa to use for SS?

Take a look at this! MP3 and power points included in these materials! Excellent!

Free Bible Story Colouring Pages for children:

Train up a child in the way he should go!

Duet 6:4-9 (ESV) The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

I have been meaning to get this set up for ages, as many people have asked for it over the years. The best by far is the first one (Calvary Chapel) as they are firstly the most comprehensive and secondly they have quizzes etc for older children too. (I noticed as I was looking around that there are are many other sites using their pictures with no acknowledgement to them) All the links below were found in relation to 'Easter' or 'Passover' searches. There is heaps out there to chose from, don't forget too that there are a number of Jewish sights which have OT stories. I ntice too that the most popular stories are easily found, others are harder to find sadly. Any artists out there feel burdened to provide free drawings for all the Bible? In places like Africa there is so little money for buying of curriculum, so 'free' is the only thing they can afford. It is my dream to see more good quality Bible teaching materials on line for this purpose....leave a comment if you have any other sugestions!

The best one:

http://children.calvarychapel.com/SITE/curriculum.htm

Others:


http://www.calvarywilliamsport.com/activity-pages.html

http://www.apples4theteacher.com/coloring-pages/passover/

http://www.apples4theteacher.com/coloring-pages/christian-easter/

http://www.shirleys-preschool-activities.com/meghans-free-preschool-printables.html

http://www.toddler-activities-at-home.com/passover-coloring-pages.html

http://www.toddler-activities-at-home.com/easter-coloring-pages.html

http://www.childrenstory.info/biblestoryforchild/cb1.html

Today in history

In 1452 the first book was printed, it was the Guttenberg Bible!

Blessed is the man....

Psalm 1 describes a very special person, a man who knows God intimately and is therefore blessed in a special way! Our dear friend Ted/Mr Pearce was such a man! This is a tribute to Mr Pearce! Many thanks to Bev for allowing me to publish it! We still miss our Mr Pearce very much but continue to be very blessed by your friendship Bev, Mrs Pearce or Aunty Bev as the children refer to you at home with true South African affection!

From 17th October 2009:
The last few weeks have been profoundly sad for us as a family as our dear friend Ted Pearce, from Grace Bible Church, has deteriorated health-wise and gone to be with our Lord.

You are, I am sure, expecting me to tell you that our dear Mr Ted Pearce was a peer of ours....but he was not and this is what has made him so special to us as a family! He is my parents' age and so had no 'usual' reason to be drawn to us as a family, he had no kids our kids' age or common hobby, etc. and yet he was profoundly instrumental in making us feel at home when we first went to Grace. He had befriended every single member of our family, right down to the littlest and the shyest. Each one has had him talk to him/her on numerous occasions over the short while we have known him. Each child can relate a story from his childhood or a story about his trip to Botswana to visit his missionary daughter or information he shared with them on a topic like photography. And all this was mostly done on Sundays as we were waiting for the library work to be finished with Bev after church. Ted has known us all, loved us all and I am sure prayed for us all as individuals...men of God like this are a real rarity these days. I truly mourn at the loss of such a godly example (for my boys especially).

As a homeschooling family we are flexible enough for us all to have attended his memorial/thanksgiving service - what a blessing for us to all have been there as part of the community remembering Ted's life. (Real-life living and learning! ) And what a testimony that life was. A number of things really stood out for me....

Ted was brought up in a godly Christan family....the fruit of his parents lifestyle and love for God and him were evident in the way Ted lived his life...praise God for such families, may we be such a family too.

His daughter Sandra told of how as a little girl, she would always find her father reading his Bible and praying early in the morning in his office...always! I am sure that this is where the seeds of true love and godliness begin....in deep and consistent Bible reading and prayer and meditation. This example has led me to wonder how I could encourage all our children to remember to spent time like this with God and we have now a new habit where we all have Bible reading together at the same time. The children then share what they have learnt form their reading. As everyone is reading in a different place it has been interesting to see how God touches each person differently. We, as a family, all talk of Ted's kindness....I think kindness at this phenomenal level as Ted had, is a kindness cultured in prayer. It is the result or fruit of prayer. Such kindness may just happen in small doses for easy going, really nice people but for it to be consistent and overwhelmingly obvious as Ted's was, I believe reflects his closeness to God.

His son Rodney talked of how he felt accepted by his father, even when he did something wrong....I wonder how many children have such a wonderful testimony? Rodney called his father his best friend, someone he loved to talk with. Not only was Ted kind but he loved deeply.

His daughter Sandra now works as a missionary in Botswana with her husband, while Rodney is a pastor in America with his lovely wife and 3 children and another on the way. One of my fondest memories of Ted is seeing him with his grandchildren at the beginning of the year...sitting them on his knee and just chatting and laughing with them and with our children. Taking his littlest granddaughter by the hand and giving her juice and a biscuit at church...how precious was his love for children....one of my children said, "Mr Pearce makes me think of Jesus when he is with children."

The thing that touched me most of all at the thanksgiving/memorial service was the telling of the ways in which Ted showed his love for his wife Bev.

My last sight of Ted was of him clutching Bev's hand as they walked away from church on one of his last visits to Church. His health had deteriorated so that he could no longer talk much and yet he was showing her without words how dearly he loved her! That will forever be a picture etched on my memory!

We were told at his Thanksgiving service how he always had a marriage book besides his bed...what does that say about Ted? He must have believed one is never too wise to be reminded to love one's spouse in some special way or to learn new things about understanding one's spouse! He took his God given responsibility to love Bev very seriously -what an inspiring testimony!

It was told how he left notes for Bev to read of his love for her...and of how he would remember anniversary dates for all sorts of things. Near the end when he could barely talk, Bev took him for a drive, on the way home he kept giving Bev directions...left, left....etc. until they came to a place where they had had a romantic meal together before....he wanted to repeat the special occasion. He expressed his years of practised love for Bev so perfectly, even after he had not the words to tell of it!

I have since talked with my children, my boys especially....such charming and romantic behaviour may come more naturally to some...but it is also a choice, a practised habit, a well planned habit, a nurtured decision to be a certain way - which becomes more and more worthwhile as it goes along....to be sentimental/romantic in this way, is to encourage a friendship or to nurture a love. Even more it is God's plan to reflect His love for us His church , His bride! It is not something to be taken lightly.

I ask my boys, "practise now", if you want to be like Mr Pearce when you are older...learn to be sentimental, remember your siblings birthdays, pick a flower for your mother or sister, send a letter - put effort into relationships, put prayer into those who love you....Oh how lacking we are in our society of such a beautifully rich and full and romantic life. We are too busy, too rushed, too full, too crowded, too instant and too cluttered to cultivate romance and sentimentalities at their best.

As I come to the end my hubby who has looked over my shoulder reminds me that we have only been at Grace for about 18 months...is it really that short that we have known and loved our Mr Pearce? It feels like he has always been our family's friend. I wish it could have been for longer...but how happy I am for him that he is in the best place in all the universe -heaven! Right there close to God and happy, perfectly holy and praising God with all his might.

I was chatting to my son Jonathan....to him Mr Pearce would seem an old man- for me he was still young...a man whose life was cut short at it's best moment....he had so much more to give to so many people. So... is our God still good when a life, so lovely, is cut short by cancer?...as his son said when he preached at the memorial service...a resounding "yes, our God is still good."

God has indeed touched many people over the years through Ted's life. I know his life will affect generations to come as Ted has nurtured his wife and moulded his children - all who they come into contact with are touched with the special love Ted encouraged in them- God's love.