Christie Thein is a Mom On A Media Mission. She wants to change a culture by teaching people how to change their media choices. Instead of secular movies, books, CDs and music, Christie is teaching parents (and kids) how to find good Christian alternatives.
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| Christie is the mama on the far right |
The key word here is good. The mom has spent hours and hours finding high quality media that you and your family will enjoy.
Below are her 'Top Ten' lists to help you get started. Want more? Just email her at christiethein@yahoo.com and she'll send you more recommendations.
Also contact Christie and invite her to run a 'Mom on A Media Mission' workshop with the parents, teachers, and/or catechists in your school or parish. She will empower them to choose good media in their homes and classrooms.
Christie can speak with youth groups and students as well.
Top Ten Christian
Artists to check out for the teens
(purchase through itunes)
Artist/Album Song
(Eye On It)
(Gold
Group 1 Crew Freq Dat
(Fearless)
Thousand Foot Krutch Be Somebody
( The End Is
Where We
Begin)
Family Force
Five Cray Button
(Cray Button)
KJ-52 Brand
New Day
(Dangerous)
Owl City Shooting Star
(Shooting
Star)
Skillet Monster
(Awake)
Anthem
Lights Outta My Mind
(Anthem
Lights)
Switchfoot Dare You To Move
(The Best
Yet)
Great radio station online to check out!!
Ten Christian Artists for Moms
1.) Chris
Tomlin (A staple in every house)
2.) Matthew
West
3.) Casting
Crowns
4.) Brandon
Heath
5.) Chris
August
6.) Jeremy
Camp
7.) Sanctus
Real
8.) The
Afters
9.) Tenth
Avenue North
10.) Matt
Maher
Ten great youtube videos to check out
1.) Britt Nicole
The Lost Get
Found
Britt Nicole is great for all ages! Kids love her.
2.) Brandon Heath
Give Me Your
Eyes
Give Me Your Eyes is amazing, I pray that He will
give us His eyes so that we may see the world as He sees it. The Light In Me is a great teaching video for your
kids. There is a boy whose friends are
not making good choices and he is faced with a choice. You put the light in me….
3.) Casting Crowns
Just Another Birthday
Slow Fade
Casting Crown has so many videos with great
messages. Just another birthday is a
good video for your teenagers to watch. American Dream and Slow Fade for
couples.
4.) Chris August
Powerful song on forgiveness, check out the
story behind the video
5.) Josh Wilson
6.) Lecrae
Powerful
video on our example to our children
7.) Lifehouse
Video that portrays our youth getting romanced into
the many temptations that life offers.
8.) Matthew West
9.) Sanctus Real
10.) The Afters
Light Up The
Sky
Top Ten Movies to Watch
1.) Facing the Giants
A great movie to watch with the entire family, this
football movie is an underdog story you don’t want to miss.
2.) Soul Surfer
Soul Surfer is the inspiring true story of teen surfer Bethany Hamilton, who
lost her arm in a shark attack and courageously overcame all odds to become a
champion again, through her sheer determination and unwavering faith.
4.) October Baby
As the curtain rises, Hannah
hesitantly steps onto the stage for her theatrical debut in college. Yet before
she can utter her first lines, Hannah collapses in front of the stunned
audience. After countless medical tests, all signs point to one underlying
factor: Hannah's difficult birth. This revelation is nothing compared to what
she then learns from her parents: she was actually adopted ... after a failed
abortion attempt. Bewildered, angered, and confused, Hannah turns for support
to Jason, her oldest friend. Encouraged by his adventurous spirit, Hannah joins
his group of friends on a Spring Break road trip, embarking on a journey to
discover her hidden past ... and find hope for her unknown future.
5.) Courageous
Four men, one calling: To serve
and protect. As law enforcement officers, they are confident and focused,
standing up to the worst the streets can offer. Yet at the end of the day, they
face a challenge they’re ill prepared to tackle: fatherhood. When tragedy
strikes home, these men are left wrestling with their hopes, their fears, their
faith, and their fathering.
6.) Mighty Macs
From the inspiring true story comes the
tale of one woman who just wanted to make a difference and wound up making
history! When Coach Cathy Rush (Carla Gugino, Mr. Popper's Penguins)
arrives at tiny Immaculata College, the women’s basketball team has no budget,
no uniforms and no gym. Refusing to give up, Cathy finds help from a young nun
named Sister Sunday.
7.) Letters to God
A boozing postal worker finds
his life turned upside down by a boy struggling with cancer. Young Tyler
Doherty (Tanner Maguire) faces his cancer with a strong spirit and good humor,
and maintains his faith by writing letters to God--letters that the neighborhood's
new mailman, Brady McDaniels (Jeffrey Johnson), doesn't know how to handle.
8.) To Save a Life (high school + up) (PG-13)
A powerful film about suicide, faith, and the
power of one person, to make a difference in the lives of many.
9.) Fireproof
Fireproof has a strong agenda: stay married, lead an honest life, and let
your faith in a higher power help guide you.
10.) The Perfect Game
From the director of Angels
in the Outfield comes the incredible true story of the underdog foreign
Little League team who inspired two nations.
Top Ten Books that helped me grow in my faith
1.) The Better Part (A Christ-Centered Resource for Personal Prayer)
This book contains the Four Gospels and beautiful meditations from the perspective of Christ the Lord, Christ the Teacher, Christ the Friend and Christ in My Life. This was a huge instrument for me. My family started reading the Gospel each morning and doing the meditation during Advent. I discovered this through a prayer group (an off shoot of our Moms group) Martha & Mary. We would get together once a week and read the Gospel for the day and talk about how it pertained to our own lives.
2.) One Bread One Body (from the Presentation Ministries)
A Daily Devotional is essential. I love One Bread One Body. The Word Among Us is amazing as well! They give you all the readings for the day and a meditation. There are also stories in this little book. There are many other great Catholic daily readings.
To receive the daily readings click this link, or you can send a donation to receive the One Bread One Body book.
3.) Rediscover Catholicism by Matthew Kelly
Reading the Seven Pillars helped me to understand the value of our Catholic Faith. The Seven Pillars were unfolding in front of me. “Our Lives Change When Our Habits Change.” ~Matthew Kelly My habits were changing and I was suddenly hungry to learn more.
4.) Sticky Situations (365 Devotions for Kids and Families.) This is a wonderful Christian book. They give you a moral dilemma each day and then a scripture to look up and read. This is a great tool to use as a family. We started reading this at Advent as well. It is also good for classrooms. Give one to your teacher as a gift.
5.) Noise by Teresa Tomeo
Noise gives the readers spiritual direction on how to make use of the media with our faith front and center. It is so important to be informed of what your children are watching, reading and listening to…
The media is the welcomed stranger we allow into our homes with no hesitation. We would not leave our children alone with a stranger, so why do we leave our children alone for hours with this stranger (the media)???
6.) Extreme Makeover by Teresa Tomeo
Our self-image as American women is being distorted by pop culture. Packed with statistics and testimonies, Extreme Makeover uncovers the beautiful teachings of the Catholic Church.
7.) The next author has three books that are a must.
The Ten Habits of a Happy Mother
Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters
Boys Should Be Boys
I have two boys and bought the Strong Fathers Strong Daughter book for my brother and I read it before I gave it to him. It gave me a lot of insight to my upbringing and my relationship with my own father. The Habits of a Happy Mother we are using as a format for our Moms group this year. Boys Should be Boys was alarming. We need to be aware of the impact that the media plays on our sons and also our husbands.
8.) I’m Not Being Fed by Jeff Cavins
Cavins explores the reasons why many Catholics do not understand and appreciate the Holy Eucharist-and why some have left the Church, saying that they simply weren’t being “fed” and that they longed for a relationship with Jesus. (I have come to realize how important it is to live our faith every day. It is not just a Sunday visit but a way of life.
9.) My Other Self by Clarence Enzler
After my fire started losing its spark my spiritual director gave me this amazing book. I was challenged to read a little and then meditate on what jumps out at me. I had been feeling very dry in my prayers at the time and in the book it says, “When you receive fruit from prayer that is God’s gift to you and when you are in a period of dryness and you continue even when your flesh does not feel like it that is your gift to God.” If you are looking to dig deeper, this is the book for you.
10.) Our Lady of Kibeho by Immaculee Ilibagiza
I had heard of the 1994 genocide. This book brought it to life in a way I cannot even explain. A story on forgiveness, this book left me with a heavy heart for those I had not forgiven. It was healing and eye opening to what is happening in our culture in the present. Our Lady of Kibeho became this first and only Vatican-approved Marian site in all of Africa. But the story still remains largely unknown. This book will touch your heart.
