![]() I recently had the opportunity to interview Blanca, the Christian artist formerly of Group 1 Crew who just released her first solo album. It was a great interview, and even over the phone, her excitement was evident. It was the first interview my whole family listened in on, which was kind of cool for me as well. My son is a huge Christian rap fan, so while most of my article topics are of zero interest to him, this one--well, let's just say I scored some points with this one. I even asked him what he would like me to ask, and he had a couple of great questions. He also gave me some background info and played me some songs that Blanca is featured on. All in all, it was a fun experience for us all. The article will be out in The Alabama Baptist soon, and I'll post the link when it's ready. For now, check out Blanca's website and her Real True You challenge. Blanca said that as she worked on the new album, she just kept thinking, Be Real. Be True. Be You. And in conjunction with the release of her first solo project, she also challenged girls and women to embrace their authentic selves. The Real True You Challenge asks them to post a picture of themselves, free of makeup, and to include in the post something about their appearance they've hated in the past but grown to love because it makes them unique. Blanca wants all girls to know that God has given them something special to share with the world, and the Real True You Challenge is a way to avoid the negative stuff on social media and focus on something positive. What about you? If you want to participate, read more details at Blanca's website. Be sure to use the hashtag #RealTrueYou to join in the discussion. ![]() Have you heard that Kim Kardashian has written a book? Perhaps written is not the best word. Though she's the author of the current best-selling celebrity photography book on Amazon, the book is not one of words. It's of pictures. Hundreds of selfies the celebrity has taken of herself through the years. The title of the book is Selfish, which seems pretty fitting. Questions about what makes people want to take photos of themselves constantly aside, Kardashian has certainly made a career out of her physical appearance and look-at-me lifestyle. It's a choice and a direction that I daily seek to guard against. As a parent, one of my ultimate measures of success will be the selflessness my children show. Will they put others before themselves? Will they seek the greater good for their families, their communities, their churches? Will they be servant leaders, as Jesus calls his followers to be. I pray they will. But it will not be easy. Kids today have more technology in their pockets than my parents had in the entire household when I was 13. Some of it is great, but most of it is really frightening. And I say frightening because it has power. It has the power to control our minds. We check the phone frequently for new texts, Facebook posts or tweets. It has the power to control our free time. Instead of reaching for book or magazine, the smartphone is what we pick up when we have an unoccupied moment. And it has the power to control our hearts. Social media especially can make us question our likes, our dislikes, our wants and our needs like nothing else has ever done. So when I recently wrote about social media and its dangers for The Alabama Baptist, I had a lot of questions. Certainly we didn't cover everything, but there's some great advice for parents and caregivers on how to guard yourself and your family from the dangers of social media. I also recommend a book by Alabama youth minister Tommy McGregor. Selfie: A Parent's Guide to Social Media (also available on Amazon) provides an excellent overview of how parents can help their kids successfully navigate the digital world they live in. It also helps parents recognize the boundaries that we must have for ourselves and our children. Check out Tommy's book, and these articles at The Alabama Baptist. Faith and Family: How social media is hurting families — Parents must talk about social media safe practices early, often as it is an ever-changing technology I would love to hear how you're navigating the waters of the social media ocean as well. I know we're pressing on together, so my prayers are with you all in the journey. |
About MeI am a regular contributor to The Alabama Baptist newspaper, and I also write and edit for several religious, business and educational outlets through my business, McWhorter Media and Marketing.
One of the greatest privileges of being a writer is the opportunity to share the stories of others with a larger audience. I love to do that! Sharing my own stories is much more challenging, though no less important to making sense of the challenges of Faith and Family in everyday life. Thanks for joining me on this journey! Please feel free to contact me if you have questions or suggestions. Contact Carrie If you would like to receive new posts, I invite you to follow me on Twitter @CarrieMcWhorter or use the contact form to send me a newsletter request. Archives
March 2017
Others I'm following...Categories
All
|