To Sail through the storms of life

My Son is doing better
When before he looked so lost
A child with much potential
had his ship of life so tossed

He couldn't regain direction
his navigator was a peer
and with every suggestion given
he'd forget just how to steer

This ship named "my life"
was headed for the rocks.
So I jumped aboard and took control
to guide him to the docks.

I shared with him instruction
from a weathered Captain Me
and told him just how crucial
it was to know the sea.

The sea of life can toss you
and sink you if you drift
so take my words and listen
and accept them as my gift

I'm not the greatest captain
or sailor, this is true
but you must take your sailing serious
or this ship will sink with you

He listened and he learned
He took each word in stride
and when the boat left the harbor
he proved that he could ride

The waves that crashed the bow
the ones that left the stern
The wake he left behind him
proved to me that he had learned.

I hope my son does well
as he sails upon this sea
and when he come to port
He'll say he learned from me.

Thanks to my boy who runs a tight ship today.

Bumper Sticker Diplomacy

I was listening to a local talk radio program this morning. A certain caller had my attention. The caller identified himself as African American and stated he was starting a movement to ban all bumper stickers critical of the President from being posted on enlisted soldiers vehicles. He claimed it was hypocritical and denigrating to the office of the Commander in Chief. He claimed the majority of the criticism came  from the fact our President was black and his job performance was a nonissue.
As I listened, I came to the conclusion that it was the caller and not the enlisted soldier who symbolically wore the blinders. Throughout history Presidents have come under scrutiny by the very armed forces they commanded. Donald Phillips writes that, “Abraham Lincoln was slandered, libeled, and hated perhaps more intensely than any other man to ever run for the nation’s highest office….He was publicly called just about every name imaginable by the press of the day, including grotesque baboon, a third-rate country lawyer who once split rails and now splits the Union, a coarse vulgar joker, a dictator, an ape, a buffoon, and others." (Lincoln on leadership, Donald Phillips, Feb. 1, 1993, Warner Books, ISBN-10: 0446394599). This was not the precedent that all Presidential criticism was based on either. As a matter of fact, it dates back as far as Jefferson and Adams. I will not venture into the realm of the critics of George Washington as he was the standard bearer upon which all good character can be emulated.

The thing is this; Barrack Obama does not have the market cornered on being unjustly or duly criticized. He is however, our first President with African American roots, as well as White Anglo Saxon roots. It appears the archaic and in my mind, racist belief in the one-drop rule, a historical colloquial term in the United States for the social classification as black of individuals with any African ancestry; meaning any person with "one drop of black blood" was considered black (refer to "One-drop rule"- Wikipedia) was taken in by our President himself as defining who he is. Personally, I see him as an individual who has been molded by his education, experience, environment, and influenced by social radicals and Black Liberation Theologians. As an American wanting this nation to be as colorblind as possible, I find his approach to governance to be contrary to unification and conducive to division. He functions from a foundation of class warfare and government dependance for our citizenry. Now, there are many out there who subscribe to his views but I am not among them. I am not alone in my perspective and within this group are those in the armed forces. Differences of opinion have been around since man first learn to communicate with his neighbor. It didn't start after the 2008 Presidential election. To imply that to disagree or to disparage President Obama is racist is obtuse and ignorant. Ignorant in that it shows a clear deficiency of all the variables involved. Barrack Obama required many white votes to claim the office he now holds, and to make this a black versus white issue is fire starting at it's very worst. There are many who see his policies playing a significant role in our country's demise and his policies have nothing to do with color.
I feel enlisted soldiers should be free to express themselves using such vehicles as bumper stickers as long as said sticker doesn't contain vulgarities, slander, or falsehoods. In the area of Commisioned Officers, I cannot support the use of bumper stickers or any other means of disagreement while in uniform. Officers receive commisions from the President ultimately and to openly criticze would demonstrate a conflict of interest and is damaging to troop morale. Enlisted men and women are not held to such a standard.
I feel the freedom of expression is one of the very rights our troops exist for to protect. I feel claims of racism take us off the main point and that point is a valid and debatable disagreement with the Presidents view of the function of Government and how it is constrained by our very constitution.

Red Ryder makes young dreams come true

Is it safe
The Daisy Gun?
Red Ryder name
Not a toy but fun.

Goggles on
Without a doubt
You never want to shoot
Your own eye out

We stack the cans
We plink and plunk
We keep a score
While shooting junk

Shooting down
Never up
At stacked cans
Or perhaps a cup

It's a memory made
With dad and son
Learning safety
But having fun

I'm glad I got him
This old Red Ryder
It brings us closer
And makes us tighter

I even talked
To the local law
And they said it was cool
As they watched and saw

My son, just 12
Hit the can
And they said if he listens
This helps make a man

To be taught well
About guns with respect
Will make him help others
And he can also direct

Just how to shoot
And be safe above all
To point always down range
And then have a ball.

Always wear you eye protection!!!! Don't shoot your eye out kid!!!

Lesson for 2/19 Wesleymen Bible Class for Epworth UMC

Rule 1 and 2 of 3 simple rules…….Do No Harm and Do Good

For centuries, Christians have attempted to understand what it means to live a

spiritual life based upon the Scriptures. In 1739, a group of eight or ten people

approached John Wesley in London, England. They asked the minister to help them grow

in the Christian faith. Imagine their response if Wesley had handed them a bound book

with seventy-two pages listing over 700 rules! They would have been overwhelmed.

Instead, the founder of the Methodist movement chose a different approach.

Wesley formulated three simple rules for Christian living. They

later became known as “the General Rules.” To this day, Methodist ministers are asked

at ordination if they know and will keep these rules. The ordinands always answer,

“Yes,” but you have got to wonder! The three rules simply are:

 Do no harm.

 Do good.

 Stay in love with God.

The first rule to “Do no harm” is the Christian ethic in the negative. We are told

what NOT to do. The boundaries are clearly drawn so that we don’t stray into dangerous territory. The Golden Rule says: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

The Silver Rule states: “Don’t do to others what you don’t want done to you.”

One of the basic principles of “the Hippocratic Oath” taken by doctors is “First do no harm.” If you cannot do any good, then at least don’t do anything bad. Sometimes doing nothing is a creative act—or at least not a destructive one

You know, just when we think we are ready to buy into the idea of not doing harm, of “Do no Harm,” to anyone or anything, we find ourselves facing an even more difficult choice, “do good.” Now, things begin to get complicated…

Once again, we remember the words of Jesus…”But I say to you that listen, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you” (Luke 6: 27-28)

First, we acknowledged, “Doing good,” just like doing no harm, is a proactive way of living. We do not need to wait until asked to do some good deed or provide some needed help or wait until circumstances cry out for help. We can decide to do our very best to insure our way of living is always focused toward doing good to all in every circumstance and in every way we can. We can decide to choose a way of living intended to nourishes goodness and strengthen community.

I realize this is no small task. To live this way requires careful and constant assessment of our lives and the world in which we live. This will be hard. “Doing good” requires an even more bold and radical step than not doing harm.

I began to realize as an adult, I’ve become hardened. How I’ve formed opinions. But of course, I never have an opinion unless I’m right! I’ve become hardened because I have failed to keep my eyes and heart on Jesus all the time. 100% of the time. And because of this failure, through life’s experiences, and poor decisions, too often I have failed to live out these three simple rules.

Matthew 18: 3 And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

For just a moment I was sad because I realized how far away from that childlike desire to know Jesus I have come; to know the simple pure joy of the love of Christ filling my heart and spilling over into my every action, every word, every thought.

The good news is this, if we are sincerely willing to go forward, Jesus always gives us another chance. Remember, he loves us just as we are, but He wants to move us to where we can be.

The reality is my efforts to do good may be rejected, ridiculed, and misused. However, my desire to do good is not to please man, not to be limited by the thoughts or actions of others. No, my desire to do good is in response to God’s invitation to follow Jesus and out of my true love for Jesus and that IS IN MY CONTROL! I can decide to do good to all, even those who disagree with me and turn against what I believe is good and right.

Moreover, here is the most important thing to remember about “doing good” because of our love for God. The reward for our doing good is not canceled or diminished by the response to my acts of goodness. I have the reward of knowing I did what was right and pleasing to God. I am still identified, known, and loved as a child of God. What could be a greater reward?

Yes, the rules are simple, and easily understood. But that doesn’t make them easy to practice, as we are learning. John Wesley frequently examined his own life to see if he was living in harmony with these three simple rules he taught.

Today scripture tells us that God, who loves all, permits the rain to fall on all. So, this decision means that if we are to follow Jesus, we must seek good for all. It means the words and acts that would and divide are changed to words and acts that heal and bring together. It means that movements seeking to divide and conquer become movements to unite and empower all. It means the common good will be our first thought and what is good for me, a secondary thought! Can you see how contrary this is to our culture? (Refer to TV ads…. “I want it all and I want it now!”) The “all about me” culture?

This is truly a challenging way to live my life! To love God with my whole being and to love my neighbor as much as myself…. Well, God never says this will be easy…but consider this; it is essential to our spiritual life, our life of faith, and our life with God.

Again, from Wesley’s journal: “His servant I am, and, as such, am employed according to the plain direction of his word, “As I have opportunity, doing good unto all men:” And his providence clearly concurs with his word; which has disengaged me from all things else, that I might singly attend on this very thing, “and go about doing good.”

What if I forget about myself? What if I really did think about and put God first in my life? What if I did think of the needs of others first? What if I permitted what is good for the community to be my guide rather than my own personal needs? Would this bring me nearer to what Wesley had in mind? What Jesus had in mind? I have a feeling it would.

To take the time out of my “busy” schedule to call an old friend simply to say hello and I’m thinking of you. To take an extra moment to give a word of encouragement, a word of thanks to the clerk at Wal-mart, or the grocery store. To let someone with fewer items than me to go ahead of me through the checkout line… to let in ahead of me the driver who is waiting to pull into traffic. To hug my child…. To smile at someone I don’t know… to do some act of kindness without being asked. … Yeah, I think I can do this. And I believe you can do this or you wouldn’t be here this morning.

I close with a song from DC Talk............what if I stumble?

"The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today

Is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips

Then walk out the door and deny him by their lifestyle.

That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable."

Is this one for the people? Is this one for the Lord?

Or do I simply serenade for things I must afford?

You can jumble them together, my conflict still remains

Holiness is calling, in the midst of courting fame

Cause I see the trust in their eyes

Though the sky is falling

They need Your love in their lives

Compromise is calling

What if I stumble, what if I fall?

What if I lose my step and I make fools of us all?

Will the love continue when my walk becomes a crawl?

What if I stumble, and what if I fall?

Father please forgive me for I can not compose

The fear that lives within me

Or the rate at which it grows

If struggle has a purpose on the narrow road you've carved

Why do I dread my trespasses will leave a deadly scar

Do they see the fear in my eyes? Are they so revealing?

This time I cannot disguise all the doubt I'm feeling

What if I stumble?

Everyone's got to crawl when you know that

You're up against a wall, it's about to fall

Everyone's got to crawl when you know that

I hear You whispering my name [You say]

"My love for You will never change" [never change]

What if I stumble, what if I fall?

What if I lose my step and I make fools of us all?

Will the love continue when my walk becomes a crawl?

What if I stumble, and what if I fall?

What if I stumble, what if I fall?

You are my comfort, and my God

Is this one for the people, is this one for the Lord?

THOUGHT CONTROL

Can you grow at your age?
A lesson from the blue.
Something to take the mind
And create a way so new.

On how to think on things
And perceive the world around
So you never need complain
Or protest with angry sounds

You take each passing moment
As a means to help you learn
And every time you're troubled
You take the proper turn

Because life is full of minutes
And the reactions that you take
So when the opportunity arises
Take things in before you make

Another rash decision
Or an impulse that will find
Your situation worse
And regret just fills your mind

See the purpose in life's trials
The lesson to be learned
So when your world is heated
You'll avoid the getting burned

Don't speak before you think
On what each word will do
Because the way you state your mind
Is how the world sees you

Words also carry feelings
And can affect the listener well
They also mold emotions
And can put your heart in hell

So the lessons of this poem
This specific rhyme
Is to think before you act
And give yourself some time

You'll find that as you change
Your thoughts from bad to good
The chance you'll act correctly
And do just what you should

Improve with each experience
And you use the art of pause
If growth is what you seek
Doing so will help your cause

So don't think it's much too late
Or you're stuck with who you are
Because if you control your thinking
This life will take you far

A Mile Stone Reached

Just today
One thousand views
that many people
to enlighten and abuse

with my senseless rants
and pathetic ryhmes
that tell you about
my trying times

I act as if
you want to read
the heart on my sleeve
that will occassionally bleed

I want to share
all that I think
and tell of my sanity
as I live on the brink

It's really cathartic
this blog of mine
it's makes me feel
like I'm doing fine

Just living life
and trying to grow
despite the skeletons
I reluctantly show

My intent is good
no harm I mean
so please forgive
If I appear obscene

I want to be
this guy I'm not
so I work on flaws
and give it a shot

the stuff you read
and see on here
are some of my dreams
and a touch of my fears

I have this notion
that I can change
my circumstances
to rearrange

So I post on here
and you sometimes look
as if my life
is an open book

My tongue gets tied
and this blog frees it
So please read on
AS Sumner Sees it.

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to check me out. It really means alot and gives me hope in believing what I think is worth sharing. Thanks for giving me One Thousand Views.

Perception and Personality

    My view of personality consists of a blend of those who follow behavioralism and existentialism. I believe that our thoughts are who we are and that our actions are manifestations of those thoughts. I feel in a very strong way that we are what we thin k about. The ancestor to every action is a thought.
    Environmentalism comes into play in my theory of personality. Although I believe a person must claim ultimate responsibility for his or her actions, I also feel that the environment during early states of development has a profound effect on the way a person perceives his own reality. In turn, these perceptions will guide and direct his or her thinking, thus giving that individual their own personality.
    As a person develops and grows older, there may be certain aspects of their personality they no longer desire. The power of thought can be used to eliminate or unwittingly reinforce these characteristics depending upon the person. A person can indeed change their character through thought.
    In existentialism a man is defined by his actions. His actions are the result of his own thoughts. This gives credence to the statement that existentialism is mans refusal to grant himself an externally established nature. "I think, therefore I am." We make our own order in the universe as a result of our own thinking. We live by our perceptions of the nature of things. These are our own judgements born of thought. What the personality is depends on what you do, and man (and woman) has the freedom to respond through his own life via his thoughts. The environment man is born into (or as Jean Paul Sartre called it, Thrownness) does not control his life, but on the contrary, his thoughts do, and man controls his world to the extent that he controls his mind. Thus the personality and it's development, be it positive or negative, lies in thought. To say that society makes us who we are is to deny us of our real selves- our individuality. It turns control over to others, when in reality we alone are responsible for who we become and what our behaviors will be in any given situation. In other words, it is the person and their choice that makes the behavior, not the situation that makes them choose. If a situation could be used to predict behavior, then it would have to be universal but it is not. So when a person says "this situation makes me do this or that" they are merely going with the odds.
    People have the ability to turn adverse situations into positive results. They also have the ability to take adversity and make it worse. It depends on how much that person uses the power of thought. We do not see things as they are, we see things as WE are. If the problem lies in the mind, the solution must also be within the mind. Positive thoughts tend to perpetuate themselves. We have to realize that we cannot control everything that occurs outside of ourselves, but we can control how we process the occurrence and the way we perceive it. The mind is the ultimate molder of personality. Everything we learn, we learn in the mind. Every action and every behavior is the result of a belief or a thought. Our perceptions mold our reality.

John Locke, in "An Essay Concerning Human Understanding", suggested humans were born as a "blank slate" or tabula rasa, where our own experiences mold who we are and our perceptions of the world around us. Each individual was free to define the content of his or her character. This fails to recognize such aspects like human nature, and instinctual behavior. So, with that being said, I feel we are born with some natural innate characteristics as well as being subject to development from external or environmental stimulus. An example of innate and observable characteristics in human behavior is "fight or flight". In the human fight or flight response in prehistoric times, fight was manifested in aggressive, combative behavior and flight was manifested by fleeing potentially threatening situations, such as being confronted by a predator. In current times, these responses persist, but fight and flight responses have assumed a wider range of behaviors. For example, the fight response may be manifested in angry, argumentative behavior, and the flight response may be manifested through social withdrawal, substance abuse, and even television viewing as reported in Foundations of Health Psychology, 2007. These fight or flight responses and their frequency as well as intensity in our daily life can have significant influence over the type of personalities we develop over time. If a person is constantly berated, criticized, put down, or never given support emotionally by those held in high regard the effect will be clear and observable. The individual will show characteristics of low self esteem and self confidence. The other traits would be demonstrated in an inability to facilitate or initiate conversations in peer groups or difficulty maintaining healthy relationships. The trauma of constantly being told how "worthless" they are will manifest itself in what is known as PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder). People over time may acquire coping mechanisms to stem the emotional pain and diminish the continued negative impact on their psyche' and self worth. Such mechanisms like avoidance, passive aggression, repression, and suppression slowly become ingrained in the personality over time and hinder any positive future growth from taking root.
It is not an impossibility to change the personality with the proper approach and mindset. It is all based in changing the way we perceive the world and the events we experience. The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous has a famous passage that explains this concept very well. It is referred to as Page 449 of the Big Book and reads as follows, "And acceptance is the answer to all my problems today. When I am disturbed, it is because I find some person, place, thing or situation -- some fact of my life -- unacceptable to me, and I can find no serenity until I accept that person, place, thing or situation as being exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment.
Nothing, absolutely nothing happens in God's world by mistake. Until I could accept my alcoholism, I could not stay sober; unless I accept life completely on life's terms, I cannot be happy. I need to concentrate not so much on what needs to be changed in the world as on what needs to be changed in me and in my attitudes.".
This approach is one way to make a positive step towards changing how we process and perceive our circumstances. In a spiritual context, I always try to find the blessing or purpose in those things in my life that can be so easily seen as curses or negative events. A person who has a good grasp on who he or she is or at the very minimum has the ability to take what many see as a negative event and perceive it as a potential gateway for growth and positivity is in control of their circumstances to the point that they do not control them.
That is the personality we all strive for, one that is not influenced by events as much as they influence the events themselves. One who stays positive in negative situations and perseveres during trying times. One that transcends any attempt to diminish who they are and instead takes what others see as adversity and uses it to become better for it. The personality is the sum of all our life experiences and it expresses the way we processed those events. The environment we spend our formative years in sets the groundwork for the perceptions we move forward with. Our interactions with others and our motivations consequent to those interactions determine how we build upon the personality. That is, do we determine who we are needs an overhaul and some work to change our view of the world and our experience of it, or do we see who we are as a something worth building upon and improving?
Life is a journey, not a destination as the bromide goes. Who we eventually come to be is the sum of all of our experiences and how we perceive them.

Hypocrisy and the need to stay true to you

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

It's pretty simple. A hypocrite is the type of person that claims they are a Christian but then doesn't act like it. They might attend church on Sundays even though the night before they were out doing sinful things. The Bible is very straightforward, these people are liars. You probably don't need the Bible to tell you that, it's pretty clear. In God's eyes, people that claim to be Christians but don't act like it aren't "Christian hypocrites", they're just non-Christians. They were never Christians to begin with.

If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. James 1:26

If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 1John 4:20

Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. Matthew 6:1

You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. Matthew 7:5

Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. 1 John 2:9

So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment? Romans 2:3

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does. James 1: 22-25

We all as Christians are admitted sinners. That admission comes with a prerequisite humility in order for our view of ourselves to be honest. I can say this, once I accepted Christ into my life, I did not stop sinning. It is a battle waged between the flesh and the Spirit that causes our vacillations and struggles daily with what we do and demonstrate to the world around us. As Christians, the secular world holds us to a much higher standard than “regular” people. By regular, I am simply demonstrating the perspective secular society has towards Christians as a whole. They see us as almost some kind of Holy Roller who feels superior to the rest of the world based on his “clean image” and the secular world’s hedonistic behavior. I do not believe this is the view of all non-Christians by any means, but it is significant enough that we should be very aware of our public behavior and how it is perceived.

Of course, God isn't saying, "If you ever break one single rule then that's it, you're a liar." It just means if you really are a Christian then you will make a genuine attempt to follow all of his commandments. We aren't perfect. Sometimes we'll make a mistake and unfortunately, when we make that mistake a non-Christian will probably be there to call us a hypocrite because they love pointing them out. However, as long as you keep on trying to follow God's commandments then you aren't a hypocrite, you're just human.

That one approach keeps me from having overwhelming periods of self-hate and perpetual disappointment in myself. I have this understanding that I am human here on this earth and the flesh will at times demonstrate itself through our actions. Sometimes we don’t see it. Sometimes we make comments or act in ways that are in contradiction to the faith we profess to have. People will talk in our absence and label us hypocrites and superficial. If we are thin skinned and easily hurt by the comments of others the rumors could produce more drama, which in turn becomes more and more ammunition for the critics and doubters who claim our faith is but a façade.

The book of Romans has a verse in it that represents the daily struggles of many Christians while they work to be more in the Spirit than the flesh. Paul writes of his constant conflict within himself to resist doing the things that are not of the Spirit.

15I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do, I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. Romans 7:15-20

I regard Paul as perhaps Christ’s greatest apostle and disciple. With this in mind, I find encouragement in knowing that he struggled as well with the sins of the flesh. I know that his desire was strong and very genuine to live by the spirit and so is mine. I cannot pretend to compare myself to Paul because he and Peter were the foundation upon which today’s church was built. I do gain solace upon realizing we all fall short and this journey as Christians is not a one-time exam or a semester length class or even a graduate level Major that is soon completed and hung on a wall for certification purposes. It is a constant and daily walk until God so chooses to bring us home. I have many regrets in my life concerning decisions, words spoken, behaviors, and thoughts as well as desires that occurred in my past. I feel to some degree we all have moments we look back on with a modicum of shame and disappointment in our selves.

The Lord’s Prayer speaks on forgiveness and how our own forgiveness from God is dependent upon our own ability to forgive as well. I believe we should also demonstrate the capacity to forgive ourselves and to understand that things will take place in our lives that in hindsight we know should have never happened. That realization is a byproduct of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives and just on that basis we should consider ourselves blessed to have such an enlightening entity thriving within our very heart. We know who we are deep inside and we know whether the life we lead is a charade in order to escape the criticisms of our peers and those we look up to or is it a sincere and genuine need and desire to know Christ and have him occupy our very core despite our shortcomings.

10 “I the LORD search the heart

   and examine the mind,

to reward each person according to their conduct,

   according to what their deeds deserve.” Jeremiah 17:10.

Click to play all audio posts

Who Are YOU

Who am I
and who are you
is the person portrayed
really true

Do you wear a suit
or perhaps a dress
when the people you see
you want to impress

Do you watch your language
the words you say
when you want events
to go your way

And when you're in rooms
with those you know
do you not hold back
and you let it flow

Are you different people
with different friends
are you so many characters
it never ends

Do you ever think
or wonder why
you can't be yourself
or give it a try

The you that you see
when you see your reflection
is a stranger to some
and they raise an objection

Hypocrites are those
who preach a good word
then turn and do different
and it looks so absurd

I know there are things
we don't want to say
in church or in class
it's just never okay

But our heart and our mind
must begin with a core
that is who we are
and nothing more

When ever we stray
or become a big fake
we hope there's a friend
to point out our mistake

And when we are made
aware of this act
It's good to be humble
and quickly retract

All that we said
and all that we did
because we lie in this mess
after all it's our bed.

An op-ed submittal to the Virginian Pilot- Government Assistance Discourages Personal Compassion

In the readers opinion "Move Thomas", she states that Cal Thomas and his view that it is not the government's responsibility, but instead the people's, in assisting those in need is beyond belief. It is beyond belief in that it is based in faith. Everything the government provides is done by taking from it's people. Whether it be a program to assist the needy, a jobs training program, or a facility that "helps people get help", it is all financed by the working populace and it's taxes. These programs require staffers and qualified individuals who are paid by the "people" even before the first individual is helped. This is overlooked however, and more and more programs sprout from the politicians who throw more and more of our money at the problem. This does not solve the problem at all but only serves to make it a bureaucratic monstrosity where the needy are merely numbers.

The proliferation of government assistance has caused an apathy among society towards helping others. We go about life thinking someone else will help them or "why should I when there is a program for that?". Churches and other community programs not assisted by the government such as the food bank take a hit from such apathy. It breeds a feeling of dependence upon a faceless government structure of money sucking programs intended to assist but instead killing the desire of society to have any compassion. Within Norfolk there is Ghent Area Ministries, the Salvation Army, and the Union Mission that are faith based programs needing donations from congregations and the faithful to help. They have helped people I am familiar with and close to on many occasions without the huge bureaucracy necessary to run a government program. For those with addiction issues, many churches provide meeting places for Alcoholics Anonymous as well as Narcotics Anonymous without the assistance and direction of government staffers.

I agree with Thomas and his assertion that it is Society as a whole, the family, the church, the friend, the caring neighbor, who should reach out to help our citizens in need. We have lost that motivation and moral obligation because government has taken it from us as well as our money while saying they can do it better. I say, give that ability back to society and the hand out will become a hand up as well and not some perpetual crutch to rely on in order to parlay votes upon dependence with feigned compassion.