The High Price of Fame

I was flipping through channels and there was a show that I came across and watched called “Toddlers & Tiaras.” I was quite disturbed as I watched these little girls forced into beauty pageants undergoing hours and hours of hair, makeup and coaching by their mothers. They had hair extensions, spray on tans, false teeth to replace the missing teeth that most children proudly display, false eyelashes, nails and clothing that you would typically see on Vegas showgirls.

The mothers would either pressure the girls to be something that weren’t and the child would become upset or the mother would cater and bribe the child so that they would comply making the child spoiled with a nasty attitude. The competition is fierce and the pressure to be perfect is very apparent as you look at the child’s faces. I felt sorrow and pity as I watched the torture that they endured attempting to smile through the make-up but found it difficult. Their innocence and inner spirit was being drowned with make-up, glitz and glamour.

This reminds me of Brittany Spears and the grooming that took place when she was a child. She was thrust into the public eye as a pre-teen sexualized for fame and fortune. This was all done at the hands of those who were supposed to protect and raise her up in the way that she should go.

“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6

She became an American sex symbol that young girls worshiped and idolized and grown men lusted after. If you follow her today, you can pretty much come to a conclusion that none of the beauty, fame nor fortune bought her love, contentment or inner peace.

In fact, many of the childhood celebrities that were thrust in the public eye while their minds and spirits were still developing have had issues with drugs, alcohol, promiscuity, broken relationships and suicide. As they rise to stardom and are idolized, they are surrounded by lights, cameras and fans and they attract people who just want them for what they can get. Then as the beauty, fame and fortune fades and dwindles, they are not accustomed to the loneliness and do not recognize their own reflection. They realize that they were just a product, a novelty for sale and no one ever really knew who they really were as a person. Do they even know who they really are?

This doesn’t just apply to celebrities. The professional sports industry is a very dark industry as well. Fame and fortune arrives with a hefty price-tag. Very few can handle the pressures that come along with it. It’s just like the old saying, “All that glitters ain’t gold!”

Parents, before you thrust your child into the entertainment industry, please think about the cost that comes along with it. What is your child’s soul worth? What is your soul worth? Scripture made it clear as it pertains to thrusting a child into darkness, sin and idolatry.

“But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” Matthew 18:6


© Copyrights, All rights reserved


Have a blessed weekend!

Katrina Green
President
Butterfly Ministries, Inc.

Take a Stand. Spread the Word. Save the Butterflies ♥


"It is the mission of Butterfly Ministries, Inc. to empower and inspire positive transformation in girls and young women by encouraging them to take a stand against gender exploitation and to give rise to a historic revolution."

COMING SOON! Join the Butterfly Movement!

Launching Fall 2010!

"Strength and honor was her clothing" Proverbs 31:25

The cost of Ambition

When I look back over the years of old family photos of me and my children,
We may have been poor but we were happy until I caught a virus called ambition.
Things seemed simpler back then, but today I seem to fail, no matter how hard I try.
While on the road to give them a better life, somehow they got left behind.
I was fueled by the deep desire to overcome the odds stacked against me,
and the hurtful words that maliciously attacked me,
with three small children in tow, a better life came with a sense of urgency.
I wanted so desperately to prove that I was a good mother, contributing to society other than a number for another sad statistic,
although I had nothing;
raised by the system,
no man,
no education,
still, I remained optimistic.
I had to leave others behind and never look back, I made many tough decisions.
I grew strong in my faith, maintained an attitude of gratitude; and in my kids, I planted seeds of wisdom.
I wanted nothing more than to give them a better life, than the hard life that I had been given.
But nothing in life is free, success comes at a cost, accomplishing my dreams turned into an obsession.
The gap between those I love seem to grow wider the closer I get to my destination,
They don’t understand that all of this is for them, to redeem us all from the curse of generational oppression.
They don't know how many risks I've taken, how much I have sacrificed,
how much I gave, how much I prayed, and how many countless times that I compromised.
But God knows my heart, my purpose is clear, and has promised that He will stay right by my side.
Everyone will benefit from the point of it all one day,
and my ambition will be justified.

© Copyrights, All rights reserved


Katrina Green
President
Butterfly Ministries, Inc.

Take a Stand. Spread the Word. Save the Butterflies ♥


"It is the mission of Butterfly Ministries, Inc. to empower and inspire positive transformation in girls and young women by encouraging them to take a stand against gender exploitation and to give rise to a historic revolution."

COMING SOON! Join the Butterfly Movement!

Launching Fall 2010!

"Strength and honor was her clothing" Proverbs 31:25

The Attack on Families

As I reflect on today’s society, it appears to me that it just doesn’t seem as innocent as it was when I was a child. And I’m sure the generation before thought the same thing. So what does that mean then? I believe it means that with each passing generation, as my friend John would say, “a snowball is now becoming an avalanche.”

Although I grew up in turmoil, there still seemed to be some discretion in society. The marriages and families seemed to be more solid, the standard of beauty wasn’t as shallow as it was today, and there was more censorship in music, media and movies and the youth seemed to more inspired and respectful. Things were the same but it not as extreme.

I believe this may be occurring for many reasons. I think as we move closer to the second arrival of Christ, the enemy is planting seeds/parasites into as many people as he can because today’s generation are more vulnerable and have more to offer. We are the generation of awakening and change. We are a generation are called to spread the gospel planting seeds of hope, truth, wisdom and peace more than any other.

What is the best way that an enemy gains victory over his opponent? He gets in their mind. For the second wave of destruction? He takes all of his enemies that are allies and pit them against one another.

So what seeds/parasites is the enemy planting? I believe he has a weapon and strategy for each of the targeted victims. They are all different and have different vulnerabilities.

Allow me to elaborate:

Men

Pornography/Lust- The pornography business is the most profitable business in the world and the target audience is men and even some women. Pornography divides husbands from their wives and men start to lose their attraction to their spouse. It causes friction and makes them think women are objects for the purpose of fulfilling a lustful desire and it is an insatiable desire at that. It becomes worse and worse until everything they love has left and they almost find themselves in a false perverted reality. They quickly find out that due to their lustful appetite and submission to temptation, they are now all alone and they went from being the priest and leader of their household to a fool seduced by the devil himself.

Women

Beauty/Body Image- Women were created with a desire to be loved. They seek stability and security. They naturally seek to feel desirable to the opposite sex. The same holds true even in the animal kingdom. The standard of beauty today has become so distorted that it is impossible to uphold. Scripture clearly states that beauty is to flow from within but the world we live in, doesn’t follow that same standard. Instead of women focusing on their inner beauty, they have evolved into correcting their slightest flaws, so much that it has now grown to an obsession. We have almost turned ourselves into plastic dolls. Cosmetic surgery, fake hair, fake contact lenses, fake nails, fake eye-lashes, you name it. What God gave us wasn’t enough. What a perfect plan for the devil. To make women feel that they are never good enough in the eyes of man and to compete with our fellow sisters in Christ.

Children/Youth

Music/Mind Control- The devil was the “Minister of Music.” The best way to get in the mind of a child/teen is to get to them through music. Music has a way of molding and shaping our children. Be careful what you allow your children to listen to and the videos that they watch. Pay attention to the lyrics, the connotations, the symbolisms and the insinuations. Much of the music today that is very popular among the youth are very explicit and inappropriate for a young child mind that is in the midst of maturing. Believe it or not, your child’s brain and spirit is much like a computer. Every time your child watches a video or listens to a song or exposed to some experience, they are downloading information into their minds and spirits. And when it is consistent, it becomes part of who they are.

Families

Greed/Consumerism- Let’s face it. We live in a society of instant gratification. It’s is a consumer mind-set. Consume means to devour, spend and indulge. The main-stream media and technology tells us to upgrade when something better arrives. Dispose the old and welcome the new. It is the opposite of the fruits of the spirit which a few are patience, gratitude, contentment, self-control, humility. It encourages us to store up “stuff” that will rust instead of investing and giving to people. We serve God by serving others. We serve the enemy by becoming slaves of currency. I think we all know what God says about becoming slaves of money.

"No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." Luke 16:13

On top of the consumerism mind-set, technology also divides families. They spend more time on their iPods, cell phones, video games and lap-tops than they do with their families.

Don’t get me wrong, God gave us each these gifts but the very things that we were blessed with, the enemy uses it to his advantage. God wanted us to have a lustful appetite but for the purpose of loyalty in a marriage covenant. Music can be used to heal wounds, dance and for praise and worship. Beauty is intended to shine from the inside out to attract a man for, again, the ultimate purpose of marriage. God wants us to have money to provide for our families but not at the expense of causing a financial strain on your family to to you lack of self-control. Technology is a huge benefit to people and businesses alike. Our desires aren't bad, it's when we take advantage of the gift. It’s just like giving your child a cell-phone for emergency purposes and next time you check the bill, they have totally abused the privilege by going way over their minutes.

In conclusion; God created the earth for one reason.

Family

It was the reason for it all. It is what He loves above all things so it is no wonder that it’s the family unit that is under attack. We were created to be allies, not enemies. How do you reverse it? Pray, love and surround yourself with good things.

"And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it" John 14:13-14

"Love covers a multitude of sins" 1 Peter 4:8

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Philippians 4:8


Be blessed this weekend!


© Copyrights, All rights reserved


Katrina Green
President
Butterfly Ministries, Inc.

Take a Stand. Spread the Word. Save the Butterflies ♥


"It is the mission of Butterfly Ministries, Inc. to empower and inspire positive transformation in girls and young women by encouraging them to take a stand against gender exploitation and to give rise to a historic revolution."

COMING SOON! Join the Butterfly Movement!

Launching Spring 2010!

"Strength and honor was her clothing" Proverbs 31:25