If you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-8255 or visit . You are not alone.

Suicide is at a 19-year-high among kids ages 10 to 17, and some are suggesting it’s tied to the release of the Netflix drama 13 Reasons Why, which showed a girl ending her life.

Researchers admit they cannot prove the connection, but they do say there were 195 more youth suicides than would have been expected in the nine months after the show came out in March 2017.

The lead author of the findings, Jeff Bridge at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, says the creators of the series intentionally portrayed the suicide of the main character with a very graphic depiction of her death. He says seeing that alone can trigger suicidal behavior.

The researchers utilized the data from the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report on deaths in Americans aged 10 to 64 from January 2013 through December 2017. While adolescent suicide rates were higher, the Associated Press reports researchers found no change in suicide rates for those 18 and older after the show was released.

Sociologist Anna Mueller of the University of Chicago stated the results add to evidence that descriptive media depictions of suicide can negatively influence young people.

Lisa Horowitz, a co-author and researcher at the National Institute of Mental Health, noted that suicide is the second leading cause of death for U.S. teens and called it “a major public-health crisis.” She went on to state the new results highlight the necessity of parents and other adults connecting to young people.

“Start a conversation, ask how are they coping with the ups and downs of life and don’t be afraid to ask about suicide,” she said. It’s a myth that just asking might be a trigger, Horowitz said.

The first season of the Netflix show included warning messages with some of the episodes and offered a website with crisis hotlines. In the second season, the show’s actors gave advice on where to seek help about suicide. The series’ third season is expected later this year.

Click here to read the rest of this story from our content partners at CBN News.

Listen to the podcasts below to hear more about hope for suicidal thoughts.

African swine fever is the greatest threat to global food production that we have seen since World War II ended. As you will see below, the disease has now spread “to every province in mainland China,” and it has now infected “an estimated 150-200 million pigs.”

To put that number in perspective, that is more pigs than the entire U.S. pork industry produces in an entire year. In other words, the equivalent of the entire U.S. pork industry has just been wiped out. On top of that, African swine fever has also spread to Cambodia, Tibet, Romania, South Africa and Vietnam. The losses are staggering, and this crisis continues to get worse with each passing week.

Earlier today I came across a Canadian news article entitled “Why bacon could get a lot more expensive,” and in that article, a Canadian expert claimed that there are “tens of millions of pigs who have disappeared” in China:

“The meat of choice in China is pig, and disease has been devastating for them,” Friendship said. “They have lost a lot of pigs, and they will be doing lots of culling.”

He noted that although official figures from China suggest the outbreak’s effects have been minimal, experts estimate that “we’re dealing with tens of millions of pigs who have disappeared.”

Friendship estimated the decrease in pigs is roughly the equivalent of what Canada and the U.S. produce combined. And this lack has created a vacuum.

That claim is consistent with the information that I put into an article about this crisis a few weeks ago, but I decided to go hunting for some even newer numbers.

So eventually I ended up over at , and according to them, African swine fever “is now affecting an estimated 150-200 million pigs” in China:

Production losses from African swine fever (ASF) have eclipsed initial estimates, Rabobank said on Thursday. In 2019, Rabobank expects Chinese pork production losses of 25% to 35%, creating new challenges and opportunities for animal protein exporters.

“African swine fever has spread to every province in mainland China and is now affecting an estimated 150-200 million pigs,” said Christine McCracken, RaboResearch animal protein analyst. “The expected 30% loss in pork production is unprecedented. These losses cannot easily be replaced by other proteins like chicken, duck and seafood, nor will larger pork imports be able to fully offset the loss.”

When I use the term “plague”, I am not using it lightly. I have never heard of a single disease wiping out this many farm animals before.

Have you?

We are potentially talking about an absolutely crippling blow to the global food supply.

And pork prices are already starting to skyrocket. The following comes from the same Canadian article I mentioned earlier:

At the beginning of 2019, Canadian farmers earned $150 for every pig shipped to market, but now they’re making between $220 to $225, he said.

Since first being detected on a small hog farm in northern China last August, African swine fever has spread like wildfire, but so far, it hasn’t reached the United States.

And U.S. farmers are doing all that they can to keep that from happening, because African Swine Fever can have a mortality rate “as high as 100% within 2-10 days”:

ASF is a highly contagious viral disease that causes death in domestic and wild pigs of all ages. Symptoms include high fever, decreased appetite and weakness, red, blotchy skin or skin lesions; diarrhea and vomiting; and coughing and difficulty in breathing. Mortality rate is as high as 100% within 2-10 days.

Even if a pig survives African swine fever, it is often culled anyway to help prevent the spread of the disease.

There is no vaccine, and there is no cure. And even if this outbreak was ended immediately, it would likely take the Chinese pork industry many years to recover. The following comes from CNN:

“China normally accounts for 49% of global pork consumption, while consuming 28% of the world’s meat supply,” said Arlan Suderman, chief commodities economist at INTL FCStone. “As such, this is a big problem for China, and we expect it to be a five to seven year problem before production can be restored.”

Of course this outbreak is not likely to end any time soon. In fact, all of the experts expect African swine fever to continue to spread.

So pork prices will continue to skyrocket, and prices for chicken and beef will also rise aggressively as many consumers shift to alternatives to pork.

Unfortunately, most people still don’t seem to understand what we are facing. In this country, most Americans are partying instead of preparing, and that is a huge mistake.

And the mainstream media certainly is not helping. Millions upon millions of pigs really are dying all over the globe, and yet there is barely a peep about this crisis on our major news networks.

We’ll see what happens. Hopefully this outbreak will subside, and things will return to normal.

But so far that hasn’t happened, and African swine fever just continues to spread.

If it starts spreading in North America too, there is going to be a lot of panic and the mainstream media will be forced to start paying a lot of attention to this story.

Over the coming months, supplies of pork are going to get tighter and tighter, and prices are going to shoot higher and higher.

We have never faced a crisis quite like this, and nobody is quite sure what is going to happen next.

This article originally appeared on The Economic Collapse Blog. Reprinted with permission.

Listen to the podcasts below for interviews with Michael Snyder.

Read articles like this one and other Spirit-led content in our new platform, CHARISMA PLUS.

Recently, while on a trip to Florida, I had a rather amazing thing happen! I awoke after a difficult and somewhat tumultuous night’s sleep and decided to stay in our room and pray for a time to see if I could get breakthrough into what was going on. My husband, Darin, and our friends were already up and about in the living area, and I felt like I was being somewhat rude to not join them.

As I lay there praying about what I was sensing, I felt like I was warring to receive what the Lord was wanting to say to me. I couldn’t seem to get clarity. As I continued to press in, I kept getting distracted by our essential oil diffuser that was running on the night stand. We run it during the night to help with breathing and allergies. My attention kept being drawn to it, but at first, I wasn’t sure why? After the fourth or fifth time of glancing that way, I finally focused in on what was wrong. It was running! Mind you, that is what they are supposed to do, but this was different. It was still running … after over 10 hours!

If any of you has ever run a diffuser, you will know that they only ever run for about seven to eight hours before running out of water, and ours is usually on the seven-hour length. What in the world? No way. And yet there it was, still running with small amounts of vapor coming out of the top, after 10-plus hours!

I felt the Lord nudge me to pay attention. “What is this, Lord? What are you showing me with this amazing thing?”

I heard the Lord say:

“There are reservoirs that you do not know of, there are reservoirs and resources, there are deep wells of reservoir that you do not yet know of. They will bring life to the dead things that are surrounding you, to the things that you see that are dying around you.

I say that the deep must call unto the deep: “Deep cries unto deep at the noise of My waterspouts”. As you hear the noise of My water, as you hear Me calling unto your spirit, let your deep cry unto My deep, let it cry for the waters to come and refresh your soul. I tell you again, there are deep wells and deep reservoirs that you do not yet know of. You have not tapped into the waters on this level, but I am calling you to do this now. I am calling you to tap into the deep resources that I have. There are wells, there are springs that you do not know of, that you have not yet tapped into. You must go down deeper; you must go down deeper to receive these resources and to find this water.

They are resources, yes, in the natural, but they are also resources for your soul, they are refreshing waters for your soul, and they are refreshing waters for your spirit, that will cause you to go up higher. For even as you go deeper, even as you go deeper into the well, you will tap into the gushers, into the geysers, that will cause you to go higher. All you need is there in this deeper place.

For now is the time that you must tap into these deep reservoirs, yet they are only found within Me. Deep cries unto deep, and your deep must cry unto My deep. Come in deeper, come in deeper to my waters, tap into to the resources and the wells I have provided. As you come in deeper in Me, you will tap into these deep wells, you will tap into these resources, these reservoirs, and they will be your supply for this next season that I have called you into.”

The Lord is now calling us to that deeper place in Him, where all the resources for our soul, our body and our spirit are found. All the supply of understanding and revelation is found there. Every strategy for this next season that we are stepping into … it is there, in the deep, in the depths of Him. It is time to come in deeper. No longer is it a time to wade in at ankle deep, or even at waist deep. It’s time to go all the way in … until we are swimming in His depths! (Ezek. 47).

“Thus says the Lord who made the earth, the Lord who formed it to establish it, the Lord is His name, ‘Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know” (Jer. 33:2-3).

“As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants for you, O God” (Ps. 42:1).

“Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls; All Your breakers and Your waves have rolled over me. The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime; And His song will be with me in the night, A prayer to the God of my life” (Ps. 42:7-8a). {eoa}

Amanda Shiflett is the founder of Prophetic Reformer and co-founder of Kingdom Life Ministries along with her husband, Darin. She is a prophetic minister who heard the Lord’s call from a very young age. She is a heralding voice of truth, holiness and purity within the prophetic and calls others to stand in a place of no compromise in their callings. She longs to see reformation come to the prophetic movement, as well as the other parts of the fivefold within the body of Christ. Along with her calling as a prophetess, Amanda also flows in a powerful worship and healing anointing and is a gifted teacher and writer as well. Darin and Amanda live in North Texas.

Burly Man Coffee, a South Florida based subscription coffee company claims there is a dangerous agenda to shame American men with a message on “toxic masculinity.” The company is fighting back with a strong and vocal position against the agenda, and it’s using the most unlikely way to get the job done: donating its profit to help struggling single mothers. In March 2019, Burly Man kicked off its charitable giving by donating a car to a single mom from Lake Worth. Its goal is to donate 100 cars to single mothers.

Celeste Bokstrom is a full-time caretaker for her severely non-verbal, autistic 16-year-old son, Logan. Celeste has spent four years without a vehicle, making it difficult to buy groceries or get to doctors’ appointments. It took her two years to save enough money to purchase a used car online. It’s when she went to register the vehicle that she learned the car was stolen.

“I was shocked and extremely disappointed. It took me a long time to save up enough money to buy a car. I lost it all in a moment. I was devastated,” remarked Celeste.

Burly Man Coffee learned about Celeste’s struggles and decided to take action, gifting her with a car, an iPad for her son to communicate and many other resourceful tools for his care. Celeste was also given a shopping spree and a makeover. The company released a video about Celeste’s story and her jaw-dropping reaction to receiving a new car.

Mike Cohen, Director of Center for Brain in Jupiter, Florida partnered with Burly Man Coffee to provide Logan with neurofeedback therapy. Through this innovative technology, Mr. Cohen has helped autistic individuals be able to speak, and he’s improved the quality of life for numerous people suffering from brain trauma.

Celeste was shocked when she was awarded these gifts. “I had no idea this was going to happen to me. I had faith and believed that God knew my struggles, but I never expected this. Receiving a car has changed my world. And Logan is now getting the help he deserves. I’m so grateful. Burly Man Coffee has changed our lives for the better.”

Jeremy Wiles, owner of Burly Man Coffee, said, “Coffee is our craft, and helping people is our passion. But I’m also sick of turning on the TV and hearing the far-left political and social warriors push their toxic masculinity message in our faces. Not all men are barbaric, sexist, misogynistic, racist monsters. We wanted a way to share our passion for great coffee and help others, but also push back against this dangerous agenda that targets men. So we started Burly Man Coffee. We associated the term being ‘Burly’ with being a man who is brave, kind, generous and patriotic. Our brand represents every hard-working American whose virtues have more value than the toxic agenda being shoved in their faces. We’ve been astounded at the level of support we’ve received since launching Burly Man Coffee in December 2018. The fast-growing number of people joining the coffee club is a clear indicator that people appreciate great coffee and want to partner with a company that uses their hard-earned dollars to represent their values.”

The company has released several comedic videos online featuring a bearded “Burly Man” character to deliver its strong political and social messages. The videos have quickly gone viral.

Co-owner Tiana Wiles said Burly Man chose single mothers as their mission because she was raised by a single mom and knows the difficulties and challenges they face. “There are single moms barely staying afloat because some men have abandoned ship. Burly Man Coffee has stepped up to fill in the gap and provide relief by meeting their most critical needs. This is an opportunity to demonstrate what real men do: They take care of those in need. If we can change the life of a mother and her child for the better, then we are doing something right.”

The company encourages people to join its monthly coffee subscription club at , as a way to receive premium roasted coffee while helping to fund the mission to give away 100 cars to single mothers.

For the last 2,000 years, people have been anxiously trying to analyze who the Antichrist might be and when he might be revealed.

Many people have made preposterous claims, and of course, they have been wrong. If you’re not careful, you can get caught up in the debate and spend so much time arguing with other Christians over the details that you don’t accomplish anything for the kingdom!

To make matters worse, we now live in an era when, for the first time, we have the possibility of an artificial intelligence Antichrist, a human computer hybrid that will demand to be worshipped.

Have you ever wondered if it’s OK to have Alexa, Siri, and other forms of artificial intelligence in your home?

We know that the Bible says great deception is coming, so what is a concerned believer to do?

Author and minister Mark Biltz wants you to understand the methods of the Antichrist so you won’t be deceived.

Do you want to know the answers to questions like these?

• What does the Bible say about the Antichrist, his tactics, and his motivation?
• Will we know where he has left his fingerprints?
• What do Muslims, Jews, and Christians believe about the end times-are their similarities?
• Will the Antichrist work through modern technology to take over?
• Is it OK to have Alexa, Siri, and other forms of AI in your home?

Mark Biltz wants to help you know the big picture of what has happened historically, what is unfolding in front of your eyes at this very moment, and what the future holds concerning the Antichrist and the end times based on the purposes of God.

Related Articles With Mark Biltz:

“Could the Antichrist Be Artificial Intelligence Instead of a Real Person?”

“Mark Biltz: 4 Ways Antichrist Will Deceive Just as Solomon Did”

“The ‘Purim Parallel’ to Today’s Lawlessness, Antichrist”

VIDEO: “End-Times ‘Detective’ Breaks Down Clues and Says Antichrist’s True Identity is a Human Cyborg”

“Mark Biltz: Pope Francis, Political Climate, Scary New Tech Creating ‘Trifecta’ for Antichrist System”

Buy Mark Biltz’s book directly from Charisma’s store:

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Last Sunday, as Christians in Sri Lanka were celebrating resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ with believers from around the world, 320 precious saints were massacred. According to NPR’s reporters Matthew Schwartz and Hannah Allam, “Experts have suspected an outside hand in the operation because of the sophistication required to carry out an attack involving multiple suicide bombers deployed to different targets at around the same time.” It is obvious this tragedy was a premeditated attempt to extinguish the flame of God-fearing saints shining their lights boldly in an area of the world dominated by darkness.

This is not merely a matter of extremism in countries far removed from the American border. More and more, Christianity is falsely accused of almost every sort of problem, both in the United States and abroad. And more and more, Christ Himself is being portrayed as a problem, rather than the true answer and solution for all of human beings’ needs, big and small. His unconditional love is labeled as judgment, His grace as an excuse to indulge the flesh.

Instead of embracing and walking in the love of Christ and the grace of His cross, the world of darkness and sin abides by the law of the flesh. This law can be summed up by the law of karma, which misappropriates and misapplies the biblical principle of sowing and reaping. Those who ascribe to this worldly philosophy declare that good intentions and good deeds contribute to good karma, resulting in positive outcomes; conversely, bad intentions and bad deeds contribute to bad karma and negative outcomes. The world proclaims, “Everything will turn out OK if you do more good than bad.” But what they don’t understand is that their actions—even the good ones—are all in vain.

The Word of God declares emphatically, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). Without Christ, even our “good” deeds lead to destruction. Without Christ, we can only reap death, because that is the only result of our sin nature.

Before I had Christ in my life, I was on the road to hell because that was the price for sin. I was lost without God or His Son. In spite of my sin, He still died for me so that I might be reunited with Him because of Christ’s substitutionary sacrifice and resurrection. And through God’s grace, He says I can reap what He sowed. His death made it possible for us to reap everlasting life. You can reap from what you have sowed, which is flesh, curse and death. Or you can reap from what God sowed by surrendering your life to God’s only Son. Which will you choose?

If you have already chosen, what are you doing to help others understand that God’s love and grace are greater than karma? His light is shining even brighter in the darkness of the world today. He wants to shine ever brighter through you. Let your light shine so that men may see your good work and glorify your Father in heaven (see Matt. 5:16).

You are beautiful. I see Jesus in you! Have an awesome week. {eoa}

Mikel French has challenged spiritual awakening all across America, where many celebrations extended into multiple weeks, and has conducted celebrations in France, Sweden, Russia, Romania, Poland, Ukraine, Moldova, Serbia, Germany, South Africa, Malawi, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Haiti, Japan, Singapore, India and Thailand. He conducted an outreach celebration in Manila, Philippines, reaching 200,000 teenagers with the Book of Hope. Through the generous support of partners, he has presented the message of Jesus Christ to millions of people in the nation of Russia through televised citywide soul-winning celebrations. Mikel considers it an honor to assist in conducting the annual pastor’s conference, where thousands of pastors from Russia’s 11 time zones come for training, teaching and equipping. Mikel and his wife, Marsha, reside in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Six decades have passed since Fidel Castro took over as dictator of Cuba, and the nation has never been the same. Yet despite the persecution Christians have faced as a result of the strict communist regime, God is moving in Cuba in a big way.

I recently spoke to Russell Black, a missionary to Cuba, on my “Strang Report” podcast. (Click here or on the podcast in this article to listen.) He told me that when Castro took power, he said he would clear the next generation’s memory of any thoughts of God. But even Castro couldn’t stop the Holy Spirit from saving souls and performing miracles

“The great revival of Cuba has been going on almost 30 years, especially among the youth,” Black says. “Today, the churches are just overflowing—standing room only, multiple services in many churches. And it’s miracles, healings, lives transformed—alcoholics, people with very rough backgrounds getting transformed.”

Black says prophet Rick Joyner actually predicted this revival would expand to global proportions.

“About 12 or 14 years ago, Rick Joyner had a dream,” Black says. “It was a dream he had about revival breaking out in Cuba that was going to touch the entire nation. And he went on to say that the entire nation would be so touched that it would become a Christian nation and that it would become a missions force to bring revival throughout the Western Hemisphere.”

Black sees that prophetic word coming to pass in this generation. He shares that vision of revival as often as he can through his ministry, Latin Impact, which has been making a difference in Cuba since 1993.

“The last time I was with Rick, a couple years ago, he said that God showed him that Cuba was actually going to be used by God to really spark a fresh revival in Russia as well,” Black says.

This is an incredible promise for a nation that suffered oppression for decades. Starting in the 1960s, the government fostered negative feelings toward the church throughout the nation. Thankfully, Cuba never got to the point where the government shut down all the churches, but the society did become anti-Christian, and many pastors left.

“There was, overall, a bad feeling towards Christians,” Black says. “So many people just walked away from the church, and for almost 30 years, the church was depressed. Attendance dropped to almost nothing. And then around 1989, God began to sovereignly visit the church, and there was a remnant that held on for many years.”

At that point, Black says, God began pouring out His Spirit in small pockets throughout the country. But when the Soviet Union fell and pulled out of Cuba, the Cuban economy tanked, and the government lost a lot of its control.

“At that same time, God began to visit the churches, and they started to get filled up again,” Black says. “After 30 years of very small gatherings, even in big churches, the churches began to have such a great outpouring that it was standing room only.”

Much of this outpouring has been in Protestant churches, even though when Castro took over, Black says, a vast majority of Cubans were practicing Catholics.

“When things began to open up again, the Catholic Church had diminished significantly,” he says. “And then, God began to pour His Spirit out on the Protestant churches, and I would say they are probably more practicing evangelical Protestant Christians in Cuba today than there are Catholic believers. And by and large, the vast majority of those believers are charismatic Pentecostals.”

Even just in Black’s evangelistic sports ministry, he has seen tremendous results. About 20 years ago, he and a friend—who at the time was a high-level baseball player—started reaching Cuba by playing baseball and preaching the gospel. Black calls it “sports evangelism,” and he says it has been quite effective.

“Long story short, 20 years later, probably in the neighborhood of 300,000 people have come to Christ,” he says. “And through this ministry in Cuba, over a million people have been evangelized and have heard the gospel. Much of it has been followed by signs and wonders, and now we’re working with 28 different denominations in Cuba and over 500 churches. Even in the month of April, we had an outreach of over 25,000 kids.”

The fruit has been so vast that Black’s team is opening up ministries in Peru, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic. Black says Joyner’s prophetic word about Cuba reaching the nations inspires him in his ministry.

“So not only are we focusing on Cuba and reaching Cuba, but Cuba is actually focusing on reaching other parts of the world as well,” he says. “And that’s what God does. It’s just a powerful experience.”

Let’s keep Black and his ministry in prayer as they reach Cuba and surrounding nations with the gospel. And I encourage you to listen to my entire interview with Black to learn how else you can be praying for Cuba and the Christians there!

“Describe today’s teen guys in one word,” the radio host said.

I wasn’t prepared for the question, but the answer came to me with no hesitation.

“Distracted.”

Blame it on their brains if you want; after all, the grey matter of a teen boy won’t be done developing until roughly age 25. Or blame it on the hyper-availability of entertainment media. The average U.S. home has at least two TVs, a game system, a tablet, four phones and several lingering devices like iPods that Mom and Dad forgot little Chris still has in his top drawer.

That’s a lot of screens.

How many do you have in your house?

Yes, our daughters are definitely distracted as well (especially with their Instagram feed), but they are proving to outpace guys in almost every area from maturity to brain development, college enrollment and even saying no to drugs. Visit your nearest college campus; you’ll surely find more girls. 2.2 million fewer males will be enrolled in college this year than females. Overall, women will account for more than 56% of students on campuses across the U.S. In the ’70s, those numbers were almost exactly the opposite, 58% men to 42% women. If you venture onto a Christian college campus, the gap only widens. The Christian school my girls attended had a 2 to 1 girl to guy ratio. Remember the Beach Boys’ lyrics? “Two girls for every guy!”

So where are all the Christian guys? That’s what the girls at Grand Canyon University are asking, because only % of the school’s students are guys. That’s three girls to every one guy, not that the guys mind. That’s a lot of girls with their act together … and a few guys.

We’re seeing the same disproportion in the job market. Millennial guys are dragging behind the rest. In fact, Bloomburg reveals, “10 years after the Great Recession, 25 to 34-year-old men are lagging in the workforce more than any other age and gender demographic.” Why? We can’t blame this on guys developing later; after all, the male brain is done developing in the mid-20s.”

Economists cite two concerns: video games and drugs.

Distracted.

Stand next to me at the back of one of my parent workshops and watch me field questions from today’s moms and dads. If they begin their sentence with, “I have a question about my son,” I know exactly where the conversation is going: screens, sexual temptation or substances.

Let me put it another way:

“Fortnite, porn or weed.”

I hear it every weekend from parents.

“If I don’t monitor my son’s screen time, he’ll play Fortnite for 12 hours straight!”

“I caught my son looking at inappropriate images on his phone.”

“My son thinks weed is ‘no big deal,’ and I have no idea what to tell him, after all, it’s legal.”

Why are these battles so much more difficult than a decade ago?

It has everything to do with smartphones and other mobile devices. In 2012 American crossed the 50% mark for smartphone ownership. That means Google, Snapchat, Netflix and all their other favorite apps are in right in their pocket. They have access at school, at soccer practice and in their bedroom. Think about this: This means more access but less accountability.

They have uncensored access to their favorite role model 24/7, a celeb they follow on Insta. What do you think young people are learning about sex, drugs or self-image from Cardi B or Post Malone? And typically, Mom and Dad don’t have a clue who these “role models” are or the lifestyle they’re flaunting. But their kids are soaking it in at an average of 9 hours a day.

More access. Less accountability.

How would you do if you had a bowlful of candy sitting on your bed right next to you? Would you be “distracted?”

Well, our sons are definitely being distracted by a different kind of candy: eye candy. In a recent Barna study asking young people age 13-24 about porn, they found 41% of practicing Christian males admitted to seeking out porn once or twice a month. They asked the same question to practicing Christian females and only 13% of them did. Males who didn’t practice a faith, 72% admitted to viewing porn at least once or twice a month, compared to 36% females.

So what can a loving mom or dad do to help our kids fight these common distractions?

Here’s four proven ways parents can help:

1. Delay screen ownership.

Most kids try to put the pressure on their parents as early as third and fourth grade: “Mom, all my friends have smartphones.” Sadly, a lot of their friends actually do. The average age that a kid gets a smartphone in America is 10.3 years old; but most experts from Bill Gates to Common Sense Media (and myself) advise waiting till high school to give your kids a phone.

Does that mean iPads are safe? An iPad is just a iPhone without cell service. All those same video games and social media distractions are available on any device that can download apps. If it can download apps or connect to the internet… wait. Your son doesn’t need Netflix or Fortnite in his bedroom at 11:30 at night. Waaaaaaaaaaaay too distracting.

The answer isn’t no, it’s not yet.

But even when they get screens don’t let them have “free reign”…

2. Limit screen time.

Every parenting expert from Dr. Jean Twenge to the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends some screen-time limits. If you have a son with a game system, you know this to be true, because if you don’t limit him, he’d play Apex Legends or Fortnite till he passes out at 4 a.m. from sleep deprivation. So talk with your son about some realistic boundaries.

Mobile devices have recently provided parents with some really helpful ways to monitor and control screen time; in fact, Apple actually calls this feature “screen time” accessible through the settings on the iPhone. With this feature you can not only set content and time limits, but you can actually schedule “downtime” where apps are turned off.

But these aren’t the only settings that help you minimize distractions.

3. Use porn filters.

Most devices offer ways to block inappropriate content through settings like “screen time.” Netflix has a way to manage profiles where you can set the “maturity level” of the programming from “little kids only” to “teens and below.” Be sure to still co-view this media with your kids on occasion so you can get a taste of what Netflix deems appropriate for “teens and below.”

And don’t assume that any filters are foolproof. I love what Common Sense Media said in their article to parents about setting porn filters:

You can set all the blockers, filters and parental controls in the universe, and not only will your kids still see porn, you still have to talk to them about what porn is, why it exists and why it’s not for them. In fact, using tech tools to limit adult content works best when combined with conversations that convey your values about love, sexuality and relationships.

Which leads to my more important tip:

4. Nothing is as effective as meaningful conversation.

Don’t expect boundaries like screen limits and internet filters to raise your kids. The most effective porn filters can’t prevent your son’s friend from walking up to him, holding out his phone and saying, “Check this out!”

Your son needs a mom or dad who cares enough to walk through life with them as a coach, engaging in meaningful conversation.

In a world where celebrities are convincing our kids that marijuana is no big deal, your son needs you to talk with him about the fact that is actually a very big deal for a young man with a developing brain. Your son hears plenty of people talking in ignorance about issues that really aren’t even relevant to his situation—things like legalization or medicinal use of cannabis—when the one fact he should hear is that even “pro-pot” advocates admit that using weed young or frequently hurts brain development. No one’s even entering that debate. But chances are your son won’t hear that unless a caring parent, youth leader or coach engages him in that conversation.

Your son doesn’t need Kanye West walking him through life via his Insta story … your son needs you.

Don’t settle for letting your son be distracted by screens and other bad influences. Don’t settle for lies. In a world overflowing with lies, your son needs someone who is living out the truth.

Are you engaging him in conversations about truth?

What does that look in your home this week?

Jonathan McKee is the author of over 20 books, including the brand-new The Guy’s Guide to Four Battles Every Young Man Must Face, The Teen’s Guide to Social Media & Mobile Devices and other books to help parents engage their kids in conversations about truth. Jonathan speaks to parents and leaders worldwide all while providing free resources and help for families on

Last May, a handful of people gathered near the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to share how Christ set them free from homosexuality.

On May 25, they’ll meet again. This time, they’ll have hundreds added to their ranks proclaiming that freedom is possible.

Charisma News spoke with several “Overcomers,” that is, men and women who have left homosexuality, including Freedom March Founder Jeffrey McCall. You can listen to their stories by clicking on the podcasts at the end of the article.

Since 2018’s inaugural march, the group led a rally in Los Angeles and has two planned in St. Paul and Orlando in addition to D.C.

To get involved with the march or to stay updated, check out the group’s Facebook page.

As for D.C.’s second march, McCall shared how the movement has shifted in the last year and what he expects in a few weeks.

Charisma News: How are you feeling now that you’re approaching the anniversary of the original Freedom March?

Jeffrey McCall: I am so excited. The first Freedom March actually landed on my birthday last year, so every year for my birthday, I get to celebrate the birthday of the Freedom March. It’s just so exciting to see how much the Freedom March has grown. I can’t believe just how close it has brought people from all over the country. It’s created the “Freedom Family” with overcomers uniting from all over the country.

CN: How has the movement changed over the last year?

JM: The movement has grown so much. We are just continuing to share the testimonies of people who have left LGBTQ lifestyles to follow Jesus. We continue this movement, but with new people getting to share every year.

CN: What have you changed about your tactics in planning/executing the march?

JM: We have changed the march to have more testimonies together in between worship and opened up time at the end to minister to the people.

CN: Why hold Freedom Marches in multiple locations?

JM: It was actually M.J. Nixon’s idea to travel and take the March from D.C. to other cities. We thought it was a great idea to pull people together for cities in their states to host a Freedom March and publicly proclaim Jesus in their own areas.

CN: What miracles are you seeing on the front lines?

JM: We are seeing miracles. People from all over this country are leaving LGBTQ lifestyles to follow Jesus Christ. When they see us, what we’re doing and standing for, it shows them the power of God and that He wants us too.

CN: How are you battling principalities in cities like D.C., LA, St. Paul and Orlando?

JM: When we come united, it’s like the power of the blood of Jesus goes before us, and principalities can’t do anything. Whether we contend in cities with spiritual powers or not, we know that we have the victory, and we walk in with our heads high knowing Jesus chose us, and we walk out of that city knowing we have accomplished what God destined us to do in that city.

CN: What are your goals for this year’s marches?

JM: My goals for this year’s Freedom March is to grow and have more of the body of Christ to come out and support us! We want all brothers and sisters in Christ to come hear the stories and to unify with us in marching, proclaiming, ‘Jesus is Lord’!

CN: What has the Holy Spirit told you about this upcoming march?

JM: The Holy Spirit has shown me these three marches this year—D.C., St. Paul and Orlando—will really put the Freedom March on the map. It will have really explosively grown this year and will begin the revival that will occur in the LGBTQ community!

CN: How has the Holy Spirit fulfilled previous dreams/visions about the marches?

JM: The Holy Spirit has truly fulfilled the dream of what I saw the march becoming. It’s been awesome because I received a word that people would come alongside me and help me, and that word came true! Without the Freedom March board, it would not be what it has become today. It’s been amazing teamwork!

CN: How can people get involved?

JM: People can get involved by helping us with donations and prayers. We have to raise a lot of money to put these things together. We actually have all the people we need to fulfill these marches; we just need financial support. We would also like people to keep us covered in prayers. Our website is info@; we also have a “Freedom March” Facebook page.

CN: What else would you like to add?

JM: We are all so honored to share what Jesus has done in our lives. We all left the LGBTQ life to follow Jesus, and our surrender is producing great fruit for the kingdom of God. We are so excited that many more are coming out and experiencing the freedom from sexual bondage that only Jesus can give. He is a chain breaker, and He has paid for all to be free! So we hope everyone comes out and supports what we are doing!

Join us in Washington, D.C., May 25; St. Paul, Minnesota, June 23; and Orlando on Sept. 14.

The government and media may be singing a tune of low unemployment rates in America, but popular blogger and writer Michael Snyder says they are forgetting to add in one important factor that tells a much different story.

On April 5, the U.S. unemployment rate stood at 3.8 percent, or 6.2 million Americans. Snyder, who blogs at , says the number is more like 102 million Americans, a figure that is worse than at any point during the last U.S. recession.

The discrepancy, Snyder says, comes in the number of working-age Americans—approximately million—who are not officially classified as in the labor force. And that, he says, makes a huge difference.

“When Americans don’t have a job, they got either into the category of being officially unemployed or not in the labor force,” Snyder told Dr. Steve Greene on a recent edition of “Greenelines” on the Charisma Podcast Network. “But in both cases, people don’t have a job. We’ve seen the number of officially unemployed go down, and one of the reasons for that is that they made it harder to get unemployment benefits.

“But meanwhile, [the number of] those not in the labor force has gone up and up and up. The number of those not in the labor force have been soaring to one all-time high after another. We’ve never really recovered from where we were before the last recession. If honest numbers were being used, the real rate of unemployment would be 21.2 percent. People are deeply concerned, and a lot of what is being said about how well the economy is doing is not really painting the entire picture.”

For more of Michael Snyder’s thoughts on the American economy, listen to the podcast below.