Spring Break House Build Trip Info Meeting

During Spring Break, 2016, our high school students and adults have an opportunity to travel to Puerto Penasco, Mexico, and help build a home for a family in need through 1MISSION, a community development organization giving people in poverty the opportunity to earn a house by serving their community. Recently I posted some information about the trip and wanted to follow that up some further details.

An information packet is available, which breaks down the anticipated cost of the trip and gives information regarding our schedule, housing, travel, etc. While the packet won’t answer every question, it will provide the basic information for those interested in the trip.

One of the big concerns about traveling to Mexico is safety.  While there are some dangerous areas in Mexico and you should always be aware when traveling out of the country, the area where we will be traveling is safe for travel.  1MISSION has hosted numerous groups and recently hosted 400 students who built 13 homes for families.  Also, 1MISSION just celebrated their 400th home being built!  They have a lot of experience in the area where we will travel and will provide us with good information so we are safe.

Another concern with a mission trip is cost.  Flights out of the country are not cheap and we are doing our best to keep costs as minimal as possible.  Currently, the estimated cost of the trip is $1200.  For our WCC students and adults, a portion of the trip will be underwritten by a generous gift given toward missions.  At least $300 will be available for each WCC student and adult who wants to go on the trip.  Also, we have fundraisers planned to help defray the cost.

We will have an Informational Meeting on Sunday, November 22, immediately following our morning services.  Anyone who is interested in hearing more about the trip or asking specific question is invited to attend.

We do have a deadline set for the trip.  In order to make plans and secure air travel and other details, we are asking participants to make a $50 deposit by Sunday, Dec. 13. That will help us know how many are committed to the trip and we can move ahead with details.

Below is a brief video that shows what a house build looks like.  More information on the trip can be found on the 1MISSION website.  They have a link that provides responses to Frequently Asked Questions regarding serving in Mexico.

Our 1MISSION Campaign Page is Live!

Several weeks ago I posted about how our IMPACT Student Ministry is going to partner with 1MISSION to build a home for a family in Mexico. Good News – our online campaign page is now live!

We’ve been working the past several weeks raising funds through our Upwards Basketball Concession stand.  We missed one week due to snow, but had 7 Saturdays where we sold various concession items.  Our Upward families were very generous as they purchased items and we are almost half-way to our goal!

Now that the campaign page is live, we can continue to work toward the goal of $4,000 to provide a home for the Ortiz Barajas Family in Puerto Peñasco, Sonora Mexico.

You can read more about the family and what they have done to position themselves to build a safe home for themselves.

Click here to go to our IMPACT Campaign Page.

But you may be asking, “Now what?”  Great question!  Here’s what you can do:

1) Donate!  Seems simple, but the campaign page is designed to allow people to go online and give toward our family.  100% of the funds given go to the project and any size gift is helpful.

2) Share the Link to the Campaign Page!  Let people know about our project by sharing the link through social media.  Get the word out to your friends and give them the opportunity to partner with us as we partner with 1MISSION.

3) Grab Some Friends and Do Something!  We did a concession stand.  You can donate your birthday and have people give money to 1MISSION instead of buying gifts for you.  Wash cars.  Offer to babysit for someone.  Every amount given moves us toward our goal.

We are excited about partnering with 1MISSION to build a home.  Help us reach our goal and provide a safe home for a family while we demonstrate God’s love.

Social Media Awareness

photo credit: Highways Agency via photopin cc

Earlier this week I shared a blog post about some of the dangers of SnapChat and how many images were stolen as accounts here hacked.

This week on Facebook, some one shared a link from one of our local school districts. It was a message to parents and the community about some misuse of social media and also some of the dangers of some of those outlets. The article references a couple of social media outlets that allow users to remain anonymous as they post and communicate with others. It’s another example of how both parents and students need to be aware of how social media is used and to be wise in what is posted.

Here’s a copy of the article that your can read on the Wayne Local Schools website.

This week there has been widespread misuse of social media in our schools and community. The content of related messages has been nothing short of disappointing. For this reason we want to bring your attention to a couple of concerning apps called “Yik Yak” and “Ask.fm.”

Part of Yik Yak and Ask.fm’s allure besides the fact that it lets kids communicate with one another; users are anonymous. Users do not have to establish a profile or password. Yik Yak uses GPS location data to bring comments to a user’s feed from other users nearby. In other words, it enables and encourages communities to share information within a geographical boundary. Unfortunately the anonymity of these posts allows individuals who may have malicious intent to write comments about others that may be hurtful, harassing and possibly disturbing. This week this advent in technology created a social media phenomenon we have never seen in Waynesville; for this reason the school district has worked to block Yik Yak from being accessed via our internet network. Additionally we made contact with the company and requested a “geo fence” be placed around our schools; which restricts access to the app or site when a device is in locations identified as schools. This however does not address the issue of misuse outside of predefined geographic boundaries. The founders of Yik Yak have stated, “It’s disheartening to see our app being used in an unintended way.”

Awareness of one’s digital footprint and digital citizenship, for that matter extends across all actions online and off. For example, nearly every social network requires users to confirm their real age before downloading. In the case of Yik Yak, a push notification appears asking users to confirm they’re older than 17 before using the app. Yet many kids under 17 have downloaded and may continue to download this app and others. Remind kids that lying is as damaging to their digital reputation as it is to their offline one.

Parents and students need to be aware that anonymity is an illusion in the digital world. Hiding behind an app like Yik Yak will not prevent criminal charges or school discipline when students make anonymous comments or threats.

We will continue our efforts to educate our students regarding appropriate behavior and the treatment of others, both in the traditional sense and in the context of existing and new technologies. We urge parents to partner with us in addressing this important issue. Here are some suggested steps:

• Check your child’s phones for apps such as Yik Yak, Ask.fm, Snapchat, Kik, Whisper and Tinder, among others.

• Review the settings on your children’s phones and consider blocking apps not rated as age appropriate. For instance, Yik Yak is rated for ages 17+ so if you choose to restrict based on your child’s age; most will not be able to access this app. If they have an iOS device: Go to “settings,” select “general” and tap “enable restrictions.” You can set restrictions for “installing apps” and “in-app purchases.”

• Some kids are really good at getting around device settings. So set rules and get familiar or cyber-wise about what they’re up to online so you can see if your rules are being followed. Software such as SpectorSoft records and replays all of your child’s internet activity and provides a detailed report.

• Have a discussion with your child regarding the respectful treatment of others and to expect respectful treatment in return. The mistreatment and disrespect of others, whether in person or through anonymous means, is never acceptable.

Scary News About SnapChat

A number of students I know use the app SnapChat. For those who may not be familiar with it, it is a photo sharing app that allows you to share photos with people who follow you, but is supposed to allow you to control how long the photo is available.  You can send a photo to someone and set how many seconds they can view it. A recent addition is the SnapChat “story” where an image or video is available to all followers, but for a limited amount of time.

• ‘The Snappening’: Hackers access 200,000 Snapchat accounts — NY Daily News
• Snapchat nude photos, videos reportedly leaked online– CNET
• Links to Photos Said to Be Stolen From Snapchat Users Flood Message Boards – New York Times

Since news of this broke on Friday I’ve received at least 50 texts, emails, and other messages about it.

I’m a little torn. I don’t want to say “I told you so.” More like– “NO!!! I tried to warn people.”

More than 4 million people have read my post, “Why you should delete Snapchat.” The PDF of that post has been downloaded 45,000 times. It’s been taught as an example of a persuasive argument in just about every state in the United States.

But here we are. My efforts weren’t enough.

Somewhere, in the ether of the internet, are 200,000 images posted online without permission. That’s on top of the countless number of Tumblr blogs and other websites dedicated to sharing captured Snaps.

The facts of what I wrote about Snapchat in August 2013 haven’t changed

1. Snapchat is built on a lie that digital images disappear. They don’t. Once you take a picture with your device and send it to another person you’ve given up control of that image. Itmight get deleted. Once you send it via text, email, or upload it to an app… you lose control.
2. You think you’re anonymous online, but you aren’t. Whether it’s Snapchat or Yik Yak or an online forum, everything you post online points directly back to you. Everything. That happens at the device level with metadata. It happens with your ISP or mobile provider. And it happens with app developers at the server level. The only one who doesn’t know who everyone is on an anonymous app are the actual users. And, as we’re about to learn with the Snapchat leak, facial recognition is a double-edged sword.
3. Snapchat was created as a safe way to sext. In the past year since the January 2013 uproar, Snapchat has done a very good job navigating further and further away from it’s genesis story of a safe sexting app. I’ve acknowledged that publicly. They introduced some new features, they’ve said all the right things in the press, they’ve educated users, and– even for me– they truly have done a good job trying to pivot Snapchat from the salacious history, which indeed fueled the initial popularity, to something better and more mature. But they can’t get away from their history or the subset of users who use the app as a safe way to sext. As Mitt Romney learned in 2012… you can’t “Shake the Etch-a-Sketch” and just tell a new story sometimes. If they were serious about getting rid of the subset of users who sext with the app they would invest a few million dollars to develop a feature that detected nudity and blocked it. (ala facial recognition in Facebook or iPhoto.)
4. The Snapchat leaders seem more interested in blaming others than blaming their app. When they settled with the FCC, it was a misunderstanding and they didn’t own responsibility. When user names and passwords were leaked, it wasn’t their incompetence as developers– it was unscrupulous people wanting access to an unlimited treasure trove of private data. And in this latest leak, it’s not the fact that Snapchat has an open unofficial API that even an untrained developer can crack into within a few minutes then build and release iOS and/or Android apps on the official marketplace— it’s these 3rd parties who are to blame. We all know people like this. Whether it’s entitlement or immaturity or arrogance, they can’t simply admit that their leadership failed, that Snapchat is bigger than they are capable of leading, or that their skills as a developer are not up to snuff. Instead they play the “Hey, I’m just a kid, I make mistakes” card. Snapchat is valued at anywhere from $2 billion to $10 billion. (Though with existing and pending litigation I can’t see it.) Isn’t it time for the leadership at Snapchat to be held responsible? Shouldn’t the board, likely full of VC investors, make a decision to remove the founders and put in place someone capable of finishing the job? Surely, if the eventual goal of Snapchat is to sell it to Google, Apple, Yahoo, Facebook, or whoever wants it– the maximum value of Snapchat will never be achieved with a bumbling leadership team who can’t publicly own failure. Duh.

If anything, what I wrote in August 2013 has been validated time and again. Which only leads me to the same conclusion: Delete the app.

Do not trust an app built like this. And do not trust people like this.

There are white hats and black hats in this world, Snapchat wears a black hat.

Beyond “I Told You So”

Right now, nearly every hour, a story is coming out blaming Snapchat for this leak. And they are 100% to blame. No doubt many will join me in calling the Snapchat board to remove Snapchat’s founders for their incompetence.

But, emotionally, I’m just not interested in “I told you so” any more than I truly care about who is the CEO of an app people should just delete.

Just like there wasn’t anything in it for me when I wrote the original post in August 2013, I am not somehow filled with pride that this has happened and I was right all along. (If you didn’t know, I wrote the post in response to requests from a group of moms at a seminar. I couldn’t answer their question about Snapchat sufficiently on the fly, I told them to watch my blog and I’d write some reasons you should delete it.)

So here’s what I’m feeling about the Snapchat leak:

• I feel terrible for the people who will now pay a penalty for their lack of understanding on how the internet works. Yes, we should hold Snapchat responsible. And I believe that the FBI will hold those who have leaked images of minors will be arrested for distribution of child pornography.
• For those who have had images leaked, I hope they seek and get justice. What was done to them was wrong, it’s against the law, and the perpetrators may have had a good reason (to expose Snapchat’s vulnerability) but that’s not reason enough to violate the law.
• I hope the public learns from this leak. For those who will have images posted, I hope they’ve learned that no matter what is promised, anything shared online is ultimately public. Take solace in knowing you aren’t alone. But make a correction in your behavior, as well, so that it never happens to you again.
• As a Christian, I believe all humans are ultimately fallible. This isn’t about Snapchat– it’s about us. (Ourselves and the people we thought we trusted.) We make mistakes, people we trust betray us, and we all live in a space between blaming ourselves and blaming others for a lot of stuff. (Not just this leak) This is what we do as humans. While we all have good in us, as we’re made in the image of God, we also have evil in us. Last week I wrote about a new research study about teenagers and sexting. In talking about this with some friends I came to this conclusion: 100% of us are susceptible to sexting. The reason many haven’t is that the opportunity hasn’t arisen in our lives. The hormones of sex and the dopamine rewards of our inborn reward system are simply stronger than us. We all need Jesus. We need his strength to resist. We need forgiveness when we mess up. And we need His hope (and the actions of His people) for freeing the world of sexual exploitation. But I don’t see myself any better than those who have leaked images or had images leaked. And neither should you.
• Let’s not forget that the leak is about sexual exploitation and the power of shame in our society. In the coming days it’ll be easy to throw people under the bus and blame them for taking these images. But there’s a big difference between exchanging these images with someone you trust (or are flirting with) and having them published, perhaps with their usernames or real names. Trust me, those affected will feel terrible enough as it is. Let’s not forget that the release of these images is illegal. (Do I even need to say it… DON’T LOOK AT THEM!)
• These aren’t 200,000 images. These are 200,000 people. That’s a lot of hurting people out there. Ugh, my heart hurts.
• I’ve got more work to do. One thing that’s become clear over the past year is that there aren’t a lot of people actually trying to educate teenagers about social media in a useful way.Scaring them doesn’t work. Instead, I’ve found that helping them understand how basic principles of social media play out in the real world as well as creating some common language with the adults in their lives really, really helps. In so many ways– I’m sick of talking about social media. But I also don’t feel like I can stop because the need is so great.

Why Have You Deleted Snapchat?

I’d love to hear from people who have had enough and deleted Snapchat. Now that you aren’t using it, what are you using instead?

Great Article for Prom Season

There is a very well written article in today’s Wilmington News-Journal by Pat Haley, who is a member of the Clinton County Commission. He recounts his experience of coming on the scene of an accident of a teenage girl. It is a good reminder to parents and teens, especially as we move into Prom season. I saw one or two people had posted the article to Facebook last night and, after reading his words, I can see why. A sobering reminder for teens, parents and all drivers on the road.

The warm May evening was slowly melting into the clear darkness of night as I headed home to Sabina from a busy day at the sheriff’s office. It would be good to be home.

The radio in the cruiser had been unusually quiet for the last hour or so, and maybe the frantic activity of the day was over.

Just as I entered the crossroads town of Reesville, the radio dispatcher broke the quiet with an urgent message: “There is a report of a Code 4, with serious injury, on State Route 72, about two miles south of 22 and 3 East. The Ohio State Highway Patrol and the life squad are en route,” the radio crackled with urgency.

I covered the last couple of miles quickly, arriving at the scene of the accident within 60 seconds of the radio broadcast. A small, blue car was smoking and leaning against a tree, with several feet of fence wrapped around it. One wheel was still spinning.

An elderly farmer was leaning into the car, quietly brushing the windshield glass away from the eyes of a young girl, lying injured on the front seat. I could see the relief in the farmer’s face when he saw my uniform.

The teenager looked to be about 16 or 17 years of age. It was apparent she had sustained a serious head injury.

Lowering myself into the front seat of the car, the farmer pulled himself clear and gladly changed places with me, but remaining nearby. I moved across the seat and gently placed the head of the young girl on a towel.

As I began talking to her, I soon found myself asking the hopeful question I had often heard asked at the scene of many accidents: “Are you OK?”

She didn’t answer. The ashen color in her face told me she was in very serious condition.

With one hand, I carefully wiped the shreds of glass from her face. As I gazed down upon the young girl, I could see the deep brown eyes that were the centerpiece of her pretty face. The two sounds occurred almost simultaneously; the slow, lazy, moan of a siren in the distance, and a soft, gentle murmur from the girl.

She had scarcely uttered the sounds, when I saw she was beginning to slip away. She opened her eyes and I felt a ray of hope. I want to think perhaps in those precious moments of her life, my face might have become a composite of her mother, her dad and maybe a younger brother still at home.

I spoke to her in a gentle, caring tone and quietly reassured her. We both knew it was too late.

A few seconds after intoning those words, the young girl who had just celebrated her last day of school for the year, began to lose consciousness. Her labored breathing began to lower the veil between life and death. She directed one last gaze at me. With time so short, there was nothing more that could be done other than to make her comfortable.

The young girl gently closed her eyes and our focus shifted from her earthly body to her spirit.

I could hear the farmer gently crying above me as I carefully lowered the young girl’s head down onto the seat of the car.

The sirens we had heard in the distance had arrived too late.

The farmer and I gazed quietly at one another for a moment, each with a heavy heart and moistened eyes. Slowly, I began to walk back to the cruiser.

My mind slowly shifted to the impending duty most dreaded by law enforcement: the delivery of a death notice to the family. How does one tell someone his or her loved one was never coming home again?
Several years before, I had arrived at a farmhouse to deliver a death notice at about 6:30 in the morning. At that time, the victim was a family’s 17-year-old son.

“Why don’t you go in?” another deputy asked me.

“I want them to have one more hour of peaceful sleep,” I told the deputy. “It may be the last peaceful night’s sleep they have for the rest of their lives.”

Spring is a time of rebirth and renewal. I share these sad experiences for I know this is also the approaching time for high school proms. Throughout April and May, young men in rented tuxedos appear along with beautiful young girls dressed in gowns with flowers.
My wish for each of them is to have fun. My prayer for each of them is to be safe. It is a time for making wonderful lifelong memories.

Please don’t end-up like the young man, or the young woman on 72.