SPIZE CAFE

07/18/2026

❗️An Aussie Mum shared the below with me and wanted to warn other parents.❗️

🚨 A Warning to Every Parent: Apple Music Is More Than Just a Music App

I have deliberately removed all identifying details to protect my daughter, our family and the integrity of the ongoing investigation. My purpose in sharing this is not to identify or accuse anyone publicly, but to raise awareness for other parents about risks I never knew existed.

If sharing our family’s experience helps protect just one child, then it is worth telling our story.

I am the type of parent who many people would describe as “strict” when it comes to technology.

My daughter is 13 years old. She has no social media. She cannot download apps because the App Store is disabled. She has no access to web browsers on her devices. I use extensive Screen Time restrictions, monitor her devices and genuinely believed I had removed the risks associated with online predators.

I was wrong.

What I didn’t know was that Apple Music and similarly Spotify, have social features that can be used to build relationships and communicate.

Apple Music doesn’t have any internal messaging function nor are you able to comment like Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat. Instead, communication occurs through playlist titles, playlist descriptions, usernames and collaborative playlists. Users can also upload their own images as playlist artwork.

The way of communicating this way wasn’t something I even knew existed.

My daughter became involved with someone through these features.

The person claimed to be a 15-year-old girl from America.

Over time, this person made my daughter feel safe, understood, special and heard. They built trust and formed an emotional connection.

My daughter is autistic, ADHD, experiences significant anxiety and has endured bullying. Like many vulnerable young people, she simply wanted to feel accepted, understood and like she belonged.

As that relationship developed, she shared personal information publicly through playlist descriptions on Apple Music. She uploaded personal photographs as playlist artwork and wrote openly about her life, her emotions, her struggles and things that mattered deeply to her, making her the perfect vulnerable predator bait.

Along with this person making her feel valued and accepted, this person exposed my 13-year-old daughter to highly confronting and sexually explicit written content.

When talking to my daughter following this about what had happened, I explained that sometimes the person behind an online profile may not actually be the only person using that account advising her that multiple people can have access to or use the same profile.

Without hesitation, she replied:

“Oh… that’s why they sounded different every day.”

When I asked her what she meant, she explained that she had noticed the way the person wrote to her would change. The language, tone and writing style were different from one day to the next, but she hadn’t understood why at the time.

Hearing her say that was chilling.

As a parent, discovering what had been happening has been one of the most devastating experiences of my life. From what I can gather it’s been about 2 months.

What frightened me the most was how hidden it all was.

There were no chat windows.

There were no direct messages.

There were no obvious notifications.

Instead, communication appeared to take place through playlist descriptions, playlist titles and other Apple Music social features. We also noticed abbreviations, coded language and terminology that most parents would never think to look for.

Had I not stumbled across it, I genuinely don’t know how long it would have continued.

We immediately secured her devices, removed her Apple Music profile, preserved everything we could and reported the matter to police.

We are currently waiting to be contacted by the Child Abuse Task Force for a formal interview.

I also submitted a report through the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE). My experience was that without the AFP even asking for any evidence that I said I had, I received a response advising they would not be investigating the matter and providing online resources about keeping children safe. I found that response incredibly difficult to receive because I have preserved extensive screenshots and evidence that I believe are important. I intend to continue working with police and pursue every appropriate avenue to have this matter properly investigated.

I am not sharing this for sympathy.

I am sharing it because I genuinely had no idea Apple Music or Spotify could be used this way.

I thought I had locked everything down.

I thought I had removed every risk.

I was wrong.

Please check your children’s accounts.

Not just Snapchat.
Not just Instagram.
Not just TikTok.
Check Apple Music. Check Spotify.

Look for:

* Public profiles.
* Followers and following lists.
* Playlist titles.
* Playlist descriptions.
* Collaborative playlists.
* Personal photographs used as playlist artwork.

Most importantly, have conversations with your children about who they’re interacting with even on apps that appear to be “just for music.”

If you’re a parent reading this, please don’t make the same assumption I did.

I truly believed my daughter was protected because she didn’t have social media.

I had no idea one of the biggest risks would come through the music app I trusted.

Please share this post. If it encourages even one parent to check their child’s account and prevents another child from experiencing what my daughter has, then telling our story will have been worthwhile.

eSafety Commissioner
ABC Darwin
ABC News
The NT News
Australian Federal Police
eSafeKids
Dr Justin Coulson's Happy Families

07/16/2026

07/15/2026

“Put on the whole armor of God,
that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

Stand therefore,
having fastened on the belt of truth,
and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
and, as shoes for your feet,
having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.
In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;
and take the helmet of salvation,
and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,
praying at all times in the Spirit,
with all prayer and supplication.
To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,
and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6‬:‭11‬-‭20‬ ‭ESV‬‬

07/15/2026

Pray Them Home - Three Prayers for Prodigal Children

I once was that prodigal child — lost, angry, and struggling to find my identity. Hardened on the outside, but deeply hurting within. The pain of my choices was not only destroying me, but creating heartache within our family and severing my relationships with the people who loved me most.

By God’s grace, my parents did not give up on me — despite how tempting it must have been at times. Instead, they entrusted my life to God, prayed for my brokenness, and fought for me in prayers that God eventually answered.

Parents, if you are raising a seemingly hard-hearted, rebellious son or daughter (whether outwardly or inwardly), I challenge you to take up your arms, fight the spiritual battle that rages over them with all of your God-given strength, and refuse to give up on their life.

I encourage you to pray these three prayers over lost children.

1. Pray for a heart of brokenness, no matter the earthly cost.

It’s incredibly hard to pray for anything but a comfortable, successful, and pain-free life for our children. But as Christian parents, the greatest eternal good that we can pray for them is their salvation over their earthly happiness or comfort. We have to fight for them in this world filled with temporary pleasures, self-gratification, and blurry lines — entrusting their lives to our Lord — even if the path of salvation comes through pain.

I am eternally grateful that my parents loved me enough to pray for my brokenness, a brokenness that would lead to healing.

And my path of brokenness nearly killed me.

After a devastating loss of my identity as an athlete and hidden abuse from peers, my life spiraled out of control. I searched for identity and purpose in anything but Jesus. As self-destructive patterns drove me deeper into despair, I longed for an escape from this world, ultimately landing me in the protection of a hospital.

In that stark white hospital room, the choice before me was clear: be crushed by the weight of my sin or lay the broken pieces of my life at his feet. By his grace, he led me to my knees and has been redeeming those broken pieces ever since.

We will only be bold enough to pray a prayer of brokenness over our children when we ourselves have been broken before God and trust his love for our children and us. It’s only when we have completely surrendered our children to him that we can pray, “Father, use what you must to save my child from an eternity apart from you, no matter the cost.”

2. Pray against the enemy’s desire to have them.

A battle is being waged over our children’s lives. We have to fight for them, especially when blindness keeps them from fighting the battle themselves.

I remember my mom telling me the story of a time when I was standing in the kitchen with her, angry at the world, and taking it out on her. She looked at me and said boldly, “I am fighting for you, and I won’t let Satan have victory over your life!” After she spoke those words, I fell into a heap on the floor and burst into tears.

Although we don’t have a guarantee of our children’s salvation or the outcome we may desire, we can be confident that God is faithful to his promises and hears our prayers. One of the great weapons God has given parents to fight against the world’s pull and the enemy’s schemes over their children is to pray the way Christ did for Peter: “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:31–32).

Although Peter was a believer and the children we are praying for may not be, we can still pray to God that he would rescue our children from the power of Satan, give them faith in Christ, and use their lives to advance the gospel and strengthen other believers.

3. Pray specific Scripture over their life.

Even if your child wants nothing to do with the truth and hates to hear the word of God, they can do nothing to stop you from praying Scripture for them. This is another mighty weapon God has given to parents.

My parents prayed Psalm 18:16–19 over my life and prayed it often:

He sent from on high, he took me;
he drew me out of many waters.
He rescued me from my strong enemy
and from those who hated me,
for they were too mighty for me.
They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the Lord was my support.
He brought me out into a broad place;
he rescued me, because he delighted in me.

It truly amazes me to look back and see how faithful God was to answer this prayer. I was drowning in self-destruction, abuse from others, rebelliousness, and sorrows too deep to understand at the time. God, in his mercy, drew me out of many deep waters, and rescued me from my own flesh and Satan’s desire for me.

As I sat in a hospital room, no longer wanting to live, God rescued me, brought me out into a broad place, and showed me that he delighted in me (despite my unworthiness). He has continued to be faithful to this prayer, upholding me through many deep waters and carrying me through many dark days.

Parents, no matter how far your child seems to be from Jesus or what path they are on, you can fight for their life with the powerful weapon of God’s word.

The Power of a Praying Parent

The truth is, while we must teach and train our children, and put boundaries in place, we have no control over their hearts. Ultimately, God alone can fill their hearts with a love for Christ and open their eyes to see the beauty and glory of who he is.

I am learning this on a new level and from a different perspective as I now face struggles with my own children that often tempt me to despair. But we are not helpless, and we are never hopeless. Whether our children are young or old, have soft hearts or hearts of stone, we have the power of prayer, God’s living word, and a sovereign God we can trust.

Our Father in heaven loves to take seemingly hopeless lives, like my own once was, and show himself merciful and mighty. Give your child the gift of prayer, and trust that God will use his or her life for his good purposes — growing and transforming your own life in the process.

Home is around the corner,

Sarah Walton

07/14/2026

“Put on then,
as God’s chosen ones,
holy and beloved,
compassionate hearts,
kindness,
humility,
meekness,
and patience,
bearing with one another and,
if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other;
as the Lord has forgiven you,
so you also must forgive.

And above all these put on love,
which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body.

And be thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭12‬-‭17‬ ‭ESV‬‬

07/14/2026

One of the most surprising patterns in the Bible is how often God's chosen people failed.

Abraham doubted. Moses disobeyed. David fell into grievous sin. Israel repeatedly turned away from the God who had rescued them. Even the disciples misunderstood Jesus, argued among themselves, and abandoned Him at the cross.

These stories are recorded with remarkable honesty, raising an important question. If they were God's chosen people, why do their failures appear so often throughout Scripture?

1. Their calling never meant they were perfect.
From the beginning, God chose people who still struggled with weakness, fear, and sin. Being chosen did not remove their humanity, nor did it guarantee they would always make the right decisions. Their lives remind us that God's calling is never based on flawless performance but on His sovereign purpose.

2. Their failures revealed humanity's greatest problem.
The repeated failures of Israel and its leaders are not disconnected stories. Together they point to a deeper reality. Humanity does not simply need better laws, stronger leaders, or greater determination. The human heart itself needs to be changed. The Old Testament continually exposes that need, preparing the way for the promise of a new covenant.

3. Their stories point beyond themselves.
No judge, prophet, king, or disciple became the ultimate answer to humanity's problem. Each story leaves the reader looking for someone greater, someone who would remain faithful where everyone else had failed. The pattern of Scripture steadily builds anticipation for the coming of Jesus Christ, the only One who fulfilled God's will perfectly.

4. God's faithfulness became the constant in every generation.
The Bible is not ultimately the story of faithful people holding on to God. It is the story of a faithful God holding on to His promises despite the failures of His people. Again and again, He disciplined, restored, forgave, and continued His plan of redemption until it reached its fulfillment in Christ.

The repeated failures of God's people are not included to lower our view of them. They are included to lift our eyes to the One who never failed.

The story of Scripture has always rested, not on the faithfulness of God's people, but on the faithfulness of God Himself.

07/13/2026

“For you say,
I am rich,
I have prospered,
and I need nothing,
not realizing that you are wretched,
pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.

I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich,
and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen,
and salve to anoint your eyes,
so that you may see.

Those whom I love,
I reprove and discipline,
so be zealous and repent.

Behold, I stand at the door and knock.
If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

The one who conquers,
I will grant him to sit with me on my throne,
as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’””
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭3‬:‭17‬-‭22‬ ‭ESV‬‬