Stephen Kaindo

 REACH FOR LIFE PROGRAM Live 1 – The Media Hello welcome to Reach for Life. Host 1: My name is… and am reaching for life Host 2: And Iam ….and am reaching for life too Host 1: and 2 Reach for life the choice is yours! Host 2: I will explain to you in a bit why ….and I are reaching for life and also about this new program Reach for life. Music – victory chant (Samson) Host 1: Getting blessed by that song and getting my workout done at the same time. Great music by Samsong. Stay tuned for more great music. The program is reach for life A Biblica production in conjunction with Trans World Radio Kenya. My name is…. And am hanging out with ……Most people can say being a teenager is hard. There are a lot of questions and not many answers. And sometimes, churches, parents and even our peers may not be very equipped or they’re not sure how to engage with our questions and answer them. Host 2: and that’s why drum roll…Reach4Life was born. We will be walking together in this bible-based life changing journeys. Which are believe, grow, live and change. Starting today… Host 1: … No, starting right now! Today we begin with the Live journey. Host 1: The live journey guides us on how to practically deal with the challenges that we face as young people. Do you want to live to the max? then stay tuned! Today we will be learning about the media. How does what we read, watch and listen to affect our values and walk with God. Let’s listen in Instrumental Title: Boiled frogs! LISTEN Voice: If a frog is dropped into a pot of hot water, it will immediately jump out. But it’s rumored that if you put a frog in a pot of cold water and slowly heat it up until it boils, the frog won’t jump out because it doesn’t notice the gradually rising temperature. In the same way, if we all lived in a world where godliness was normal, and then we suddenly entered the world we now live in, we would notice everything that wasn’t right and could be a danger. But, since we have only lived in the world we live in, the “water” or culture around us is already hot, and we may not have realized it. The media we take in—social media, music, movies, magazines, TV, radio, internet—can slowly kill off our godly values and our walk with God, without us even noticing it. Think of the lies that we hear every day: “If you love someone, have sex with them.” Or “If someone hurts you, get even.” Or “Wealth, beauty, or fame will make you happy!” Or “Every religion is wrong—so trust none of them.” Or “Every religion leads to God.” Or “Don’t let anyone tell you how to live—it’s your life!” or “Faith in God is so old-fashioned!” Instrumental Let’s learn how to jump away from the lies and avoid our hearts being slowly cooked in the process! Host 1: Lets jump away from the lies the media feeds us to avoid being slowly cooked. That’s a very interesting way of putting it. Thank you so much Robert and you are listening to Reach for Life a production of Trans World Radio in conjunction with Biblica. Host 2: It is so true that sometimes the media we consume can derail us from the truth. So what does the bible say about this? Let’s look and learn from the bible. Before Robert takes us to the bible reading, lets have some music. Music LOOK Robert Romans 12:1-2 Brothers and sisters, God has shown you, his mercy. So, I am asking you to offer up your bodies to him while you are still alive. Your bodies are a holy sacrifice that is pleasing to God. When you offer your bodies to God, you are worshiping him in the right way. 2 Don’t live the way this world lives. Let your way of thinking be completely changed. Then you will be able to test what God wants for you. And you will agree that what he wants is right. His plan is good and pleasing and perfect. Instrumental bridge LEARN Our God is holy. But we have fallen short of the way of life He has intended for us. But thank God that He has shown us mercy. His first mercy is that He has sent Jesus to die for us and make us right with Him. His second mercy is that He has sent the Holy Spirit to live inside of us and to renew us from the inside out. His third mercy is that He has given us the Bible to show us who He is and to show us how to live. How should we respond to this amazing mercy? 1. Worship God with all you are. By offering our bodies and our whole lives to God. Our relationship with God begins to change us so that we can imitate His goodness and kindness to the world. 2. “Don’t live the way this world lives” (v2). We’re surrounded by a culture where God’s Word and ways are not known, respected, or obeyed. Everywhere we look, people seem to be happily living and sinning without thinking about God. This places pressure on us to become like them, instead of us changing to be like Jesus. But how do we actively resist this? 3. “Let your way of thinking be completely changed” (v2). When we change our thinking, we change our lives. Godly living starts with godly thinking. This is why we need to always feed our minds with the right stuff. Do this by filling your mind every day with God’s Word. Check everything you see or hear against God’s Word. Also, take control over what you watch, read, think about, and listen to. Watching sex scenes and scenes of violence, for example, does not renew our minds. What is the reward for all of this? For worshiping God with all we are? For not living the way the world does? And for changing our way of thinking? The answer is: “Then you will be able to test what God wants for you. And you will agree that what he wants is right. His plan is good and pleasing and perfect” (v3). What a thrill it is to live the life God wants us to live! LIVE Host1: Awesome! Thank you Robert, as we medidate on that word. Lets listen to the Jireh by Limo Blaze and Lecrae and Hapi. Music – Jire LimoBlaze, Lecrae and Happi Host 2 Totally Awesome wonderful rendition of the song Jireh by LimoBlaze, Lecare and Happi. you are listening to reach for Life and today we are on the Live journey,learning about the media and how the messages we hear, read and watch affect our values. If you have any questions or comments and you would like to reach out to us. Send us a text message to this number- Host 1: The number again is-. So, Imagine each of us is a mobile phone—it is possible that some messages don’t get through to our feed. And we start to believe the messages our culture and our world is sending us. Host 2: That’s a good picture—we’re smartphones. I like that. We have to follow the right people and the right messages. And we have to recognize bad messages when they come through our feed. Host 1: Yes, we all need to think more about what we are thinking about. A tongue twister right there but you get it right? There’s a verse in the Bible that even tells us the kinds of things we should think about—and the kinds of videos, series, and movies we should watch. Here goes: “Finally, my brothers and sisters, always think about what is true. Think about what is noble, right and pure. Think about what is lovely and worthy of respect. If anything is excellent or worthy of praise, think about those kinds of things.” (Philippians 4:8) Host 2 That’s an amazing verse. So when we are thinking about which people to follow on social media or what to watch, we can ask things like: Is this true and right? Is this noble and pure? Host 1 And is this worthy of respect and praise? Is it lovely and excellent? Host 2: Yes! And as we are more careful about what we take into our brain, we’re able to know what God’s plan is for how we should live. Host 1: Yeah. There’s something called GIGO—garbage in, garbage out. If we feed our mind with bad things, it affects what we think, what we say, what we want, and what we do. Host 2: I suppose GIGO can also stand for good in, good out. (laughing) Host 1: (Laughing) Or God’s ways in, God’s ways out. Host 2: Perfect way to put it. We can go on and on with other meanings for GIGO but let me take you back abit, You mentioned smartphones earlier. I think we should talk more about how God guides us in using them. Host 1: So, so important. There is a verse that says: “I will not be controlled by anything” (1 Corinthians 6:12) A smartphone can be a blessing but, for many of us young people, it can take over when we allow it. Host 2 True! So many of us are on our phones for five or more hours every day. The buzzing, the blinking alerts, the notifications—we are practically glued to these screens. Host 1: But it’s not all bad! With our smartphones we can connect with people across the world. We can raise awareness. We can share moments of beauty. Or messages that uplift others. Host 1: Sure, smartphones are not all bad. But being on our phones all the time, and especially on social media, is damaging so many young lives. For example, there’s cyberbullying—when people say nasty stuff to us or about us online. And sexting—seeing and sharing revealing pictures of our bodies can ruin our reputation, even our ability to get a job one day. Host 2: There’s also the mental health issues. Since smartphones have arrived, more young people struggle with lack of sleep, anxiety, depression, loneliness, and sadness. Host 1: Yes, we must not let our devices take control of us. It is addictive. Every time someone likes something we share or someone messages us, our brain releases dopamine, a chemical released in our brain which makes us feel so good. BUT, It’s also very addictive. But relying on dopamine, like all addictions means that we start to feel emptier, and sadder, and less able to enjoy the rest of our lives. Host 2: we definitely need help in not being controlled by our phones. But how? Host 1: Be very selective of which social media platforms you join and the people you follow. Never say a bad word about someone on your phone. And never share a nude picture or video with anyone. It’s also good to let your parents or guardians know what you are posting and what you are watching. Host 2: Even more basic: Switch the phone off during family meals. Table manners people… Don’t look at it before bedtime—it will ruin your sleep. Don’t sleep next to your phone—charge it in another room overnight if possible. Put your phone down when talking face-to-face with each other. Its courtesy. Lets connect eye to eye when talking. Host 1: Come on people Put the phone down for a minute, you wont die, I promise! I have really learned a lot about how to correctly and safely use media and specifically the mobile phone. And speaking of media, you can connect with other young people and just share about use of media. You can download the Reach for Life App from app store or google play store Host 2: You can also get in touch with us directly if you have a question, comment or you would like to speak to one of our Reach for life counsellors. The number is- Host1 : You can also get to continue with this conversation on our faceook page. R4L Kenya that’s R4L Kenya. Connect with us and lets learn from each other. We also have some give aways. Get in touch with us now. Wow, look at the time! Time flies so fast when you are having fun. I cannot wait for Step 2 in our Live journey. We will be talking about the highs and the lows.. Host 1: .. Yes, we will be talking about the highs and lows alcohol and drug addiction. You do not want to miss this. Stay tuned on this station at the same time next week. My name is…..and am reaching for life Host 1: And I am… and am also reaching for life. Keep on reaching for life, Host 1 and 2: The choice is yours. Host 2: Until next time goodbye! Music