Today I was offered a small job as a "big brother." This past summer I volunteered at a church camp as a counselor. I was in charge of ten boys between the ages of ten and twelve. It was strenuous, but very fun. The mother of one of the boys asked me today after I came down from helping with the children's church if I would be interested in acting as a "big brother" to her son. She is a single parent and works for a local school. After the camp I actually thought about this boy in particular because of some interesting idiosyncrasies of his. What is interesting is that this unlike any of my other"jobs" of volunteer positions would actually provide income. I have for a time been intending to eventually start volunteering at a local children's shelter, but because of financial constraints that has been something that has been regarded as a mid-term goal. Now, though, with this possible position and a possible reference from this mother and also considering that this will be a paying position this goal seems much closer than before. In reference to the boy: I will not be discussing him any further as I do not want to disclose any information that his mother would not want known. She may find out about my little project here through me or a friend and decide to allow more information to be posted, but unless that happens I am quite content to not post further information. I grew up without a father as well. There were times a man from our church would come and hang out with me. Those times I look back with great fondness. There is one problem with them though. Such men and occasions were too few and far between. My mother remarried when I was fourteen and her second husband was a terrible man who at one point nearly killed her. They are divorced now. Ever since then I have had an idea in the back of my mind. An inkling of a thought has been gnawing at my brain. It is an idea for an organization to mentor boys (and girls as well if any women would eventually be interested in this) with out fathers. I know of the Boys and Girls Club of America and there is no doubt that they have been a positive organization for many out there. They have some short comings as all organizations run by humans are bound to have. I have no delusions of "fixing" them or even ever becoming as large as they are, but there are certain things that can and should be improved upon. As I understand they are currently allowing homosexuals to volunteer. While homosexuals are regular members of society as heterosexuals are a gay male doesn't exactly make the best male role-model. There is a lot to growing up in to a man. There are the all the aspects of chivalry to learn (few of which I have really learned). There is the mastery of discretion. Learning how to properly balance strength with gentleness is no easy task either. Most of all growing into a man means becoming the man that God wants you to be. The idea that a man and a woman should together raise children was not just some random decision that God rolled a dice on. God is not a man and He is not a woman. Both genders were derived from His nature. A boy (girls as well) needs a good example of both genders interacting in the manner that God designed. The best example I have had the privilege of seeing was that of my aunt and uncle. Their's is a wonderful marriage.
Ephesians 5
22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. This is a part that many people get hung up on so much so that they miss the next portion and in doing so miss the amazing picture of love that is in it. While the wife is to submit the husband is also to sacrifice out of love for his wife even to the point of horrendous pain and death. If this description of marriage is followed any and all conflicts are made pointless and small.
I myself cannot demonstrate all these qualities and set a perfect example, but its a start. I hope that if this idea of a group of mentors takes off in any way at all others will be drawn to help as well.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
The not so great divide.
This morning I saw an article claiming that four out of ten people believe that marriage is obsolete. I believe that this figure is wrong in more than one sense. It seems that the number would be much higher if peoples actions were taken into account and also I find this deeply saddening.
Marriage is a beautiful picture of how we interact with our Creator. It is a picture of sacrifice, protection, beauty, and love. I have an aunt and uncle who have, as far as I can tell, a wonderful marriage. I think that it is due in part to the fact that they knew this when my uncle was dating his future wife. There are many other factors that played a part, but again I think it was largely due to their understanding of God's purpose for marriage.
People stopped caring about their relationship with their spouses and then when their kids became adults they didn't know to care. This is not an excuse. They simply have not been shown how to love. That is really sad. I encourage you to find the best marriage in your circle of friends and watch how they interact. There is a method to this madness called love.
Marriage is a beautiful picture of how we interact with our Creator. It is a picture of sacrifice, protection, beauty, and love. I have an aunt and uncle who have, as far as I can tell, a wonderful marriage. I think that it is due in part to the fact that they knew this when my uncle was dating his future wife. There are many other factors that played a part, but again I think it was largely due to their understanding of God's purpose for marriage.
People stopped caring about their relationship with their spouses and then when their kids became adults they didn't know to care. This is not an excuse. They simply have not been shown how to love. That is really sad. I encourage you to find the best marriage in your circle of friends and watch how they interact. There is a method to this madness called love.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Meeting Beauty
Seeing you standing there makes me more nervous than you can possibly imagine. You don't serve to help matters when your gaze meets my fearful glance. You the one person that can make my mind go absolutely blank with no hope of recovery until you do something. For even the birds become silent when you speak afraid that they might miss even a single word. What I feel now is very little fear or nervousness. Almost all I feel now is a combination of love and admiration. Truly, on the the great Creator and God of the universe could be responsible for this amazing and beautiful young woman here. I only hope that I can be a fraction of the blessing to you that you have been to me. You are in truth the personification of Beauty.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
What right have you?
They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.
That, folks, was from the infamous and ingenious Benjamin Franklin. This statement is centered on rights. Many in the last few hundred years seem to put much stock into what our rights are and what they are not. I have a question though. From whom do we obtain these rights? I have heard many times that there are basic "human rights." You must pardon me, but I find the notion that we have rights simply for the fact that we are human rather absurd. Rights are bestowed upon one by another, they do not magically attach themselves to a person or persons because they happen to be taller or shorter than another person. Let us look at a document that we here in the United States and many outside our boarders know of. We wrote the Declaration of Independence July 4, 1776. In the second paragraph you will find the following sentence.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
In this previous statement it is suggested that we are given what rights we have from our Creator. This would seem to make sense to me. I work with the public. I also work in a building that has rooms and places the general public is not permitted while I am. I am able to go in these rooms and areas because I have been given the right to do so from my employer. Those who are not employed there are not permitted to go in certain areas as they have not been given permission by the owners of the property or by his or her representatives. In this case the person who owns this property and his/her representatives are the persons who have the authority to grant permission to access areas. In this example it is those who possess authority that grant a right to act in a particular manner such as venturing into a particular area. If there were no owners of land and property there would be no person or persons to prohibit venturing into or onto certain regions or areas. Such rights are given and revoked by that person in a particular office of authority and can be given or revoked by an even higher authority if such an office of authority exists. When one bestows upon another certain rights and there is no other in a position of authority that is higher than that of the original authority than there is none that can revoke the rights bestowed excluding, again, that original authority.
Let us say that there is a person. This person is represented as person "A"and has absolute and unquestionable authority. This person would then be God or as our forefathers called Him the Creator. Perhaps it would be better to say that this is a representation of God. Let us then say that we also have another person. This is person "B" and he represents humanity as a whole. When person "A" bestows upon person "B" rights there is no other entity that can revoke these rights. The only person with the authority to revoke these rights is person "A". Person "B" may chose not to exercise certain of these rights, but he still has them. Therefore, it may be inferred that no person within the group of person "B" has the authority to strip another in the same group of the rights that person "A" has bestowed.
As you can see it is rather absurd to think that a man can revoke the rights of another. It is as equally as foolish to believe that any one should ever attempt retard the rights of another.
Let us touch on a very heated topic. Immigration. There are those who say that people who cross our boarder through illegal means have none of our rights. Many if not all of these people will say the same for a supposed terrorist. To those of you who would say this I call you an idiot of the worst and most dangerous sort. The rights that we possess as I have previously stated are given to us by God. To think that you or any other man, government official or not, have the power and authority to revoke or inhibit the rights of another man even if he is from another country is pure and unadulterated idiocy.
I concede the fact that there are occasions when rights are to be revoked. Let us look at the covenant that God made with Noah. If a man takes the life of one man his life, too, is to be taken. In that particular occasion his right to life has been revoked when it is proven beyond a reasonable doubt that he has needlessly taken a life. Entering a country illegally, however, is not murder.
Make no mistake, the moment that a person can find an excuse to inhibit the rights of a particular group, be they immigrants, supposed terrorist, or any other particular group of people that same person has then opened the door to inhibit those same rights that belong to you. Let us take a second look at that first statement.
They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.
Those of you who would give up rights for your own safety are welcome to it. Just remember you are in fact doing something that is already outside of your right to do. You are denying the rights that God himself bestowed upon you. The moment that you accept that the end justifies the means is the moment you lower yourself to the level of those who you would seek to combat.
Of course there is much more to say on this topic, but I don't want to write a book on here. This is enough for now.
Almost forgot, as a disclaimer it should be noted that if you do not believe in an almighty Creator, than this, while it still does apply, is not so intended for you. Honestly, if there is no Creator I don't see how rights can exist at all. Good thing He does.
That, folks, was from the infamous and ingenious Benjamin Franklin. This statement is centered on rights. Many in the last few hundred years seem to put much stock into what our rights are and what they are not. I have a question though. From whom do we obtain these rights? I have heard many times that there are basic "human rights." You must pardon me, but I find the notion that we have rights simply for the fact that we are human rather absurd. Rights are bestowed upon one by another, they do not magically attach themselves to a person or persons because they happen to be taller or shorter than another person. Let us look at a document that we here in the United States and many outside our boarders know of. We wrote the Declaration of Independence July 4, 1776. In the second paragraph you will find the following sentence.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
In this previous statement it is suggested that we are given what rights we have from our Creator. This would seem to make sense to me. I work with the public. I also work in a building that has rooms and places the general public is not permitted while I am. I am able to go in these rooms and areas because I have been given the right to do so from my employer. Those who are not employed there are not permitted to go in certain areas as they have not been given permission by the owners of the property or by his or her representatives. In this case the person who owns this property and his/her representatives are the persons who have the authority to grant permission to access areas. In this example it is those who possess authority that grant a right to act in a particular manner such as venturing into a particular area. If there were no owners of land and property there would be no person or persons to prohibit venturing into or onto certain regions or areas. Such rights are given and revoked by that person in a particular office of authority and can be given or revoked by an even higher authority if such an office of authority exists. When one bestows upon another certain rights and there is no other in a position of authority that is higher than that of the original authority than there is none that can revoke the rights bestowed excluding, again, that original authority.
Let us say that there is a person. This person is represented as person "A"and has absolute and unquestionable authority. This person would then be God or as our forefathers called Him the Creator. Perhaps it would be better to say that this is a representation of God. Let us then say that we also have another person. This is person "B" and he represents humanity as a whole. When person "A" bestows upon person "B" rights there is no other entity that can revoke these rights. The only person with the authority to revoke these rights is person "A". Person "B" may chose not to exercise certain of these rights, but he still has them. Therefore, it may be inferred that no person within the group of person "B" has the authority to strip another in the same group of the rights that person "A" has bestowed.
As you can see it is rather absurd to think that a man can revoke the rights of another. It is as equally as foolish to believe that any one should ever attempt retard the rights of another.
Let us touch on a very heated topic. Immigration. There are those who say that people who cross our boarder through illegal means have none of our rights. Many if not all of these people will say the same for a supposed terrorist. To those of you who would say this I call you an idiot of the worst and most dangerous sort. The rights that we possess as I have previously stated are given to us by God. To think that you or any other man, government official or not, have the power and authority to revoke or inhibit the rights of another man even if he is from another country is pure and unadulterated idiocy.
I concede the fact that there are occasions when rights are to be revoked. Let us look at the covenant that God made with Noah. If a man takes the life of one man his life, too, is to be taken. In that particular occasion his right to life has been revoked when it is proven beyond a reasonable doubt that he has needlessly taken a life. Entering a country illegally, however, is not murder.
Make no mistake, the moment that a person can find an excuse to inhibit the rights of a particular group, be they immigrants, supposed terrorist, or any other particular group of people that same person has then opened the door to inhibit those same rights that belong to you. Let us take a second look at that first statement.
They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.
Those of you who would give up rights for your own safety are welcome to it. Just remember you are in fact doing something that is already outside of your right to do. You are denying the rights that God himself bestowed upon you. The moment that you accept that the end justifies the means is the moment you lower yourself to the level of those who you would seek to combat.
Of course there is much more to say on this topic, but I don't want to write a book on here. This is enough for now.
Almost forgot, as a disclaimer it should be noted that if you do not believe in an almighty Creator, than this, while it still does apply, is not so intended for you. Honestly, if there is no Creator I don't see how rights can exist at all. Good thing He does.
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