Finding Wisdom Among the Dead

There is a fine balance to exploring your family history or collective story (some would call it ancestry, or genealogy work but that seems so un-exciting). 

On one side it's quite thrilling to realize you have a "Captain" in your family from the 1700's. Amusement is endless that one family member had the name Ebenezer. Or how about Deliverance? But to a history lover like me, it's thrilling to just know your family lived in Connecticut while it was still a Colony! Yet I am stymied by the fact that so many of my family lived in New York. For. So. Long. How unromantic and thrilling is that. It's not. That's my point. At this point in my family's narrative I would think I'd be in the thick of Europe. But no, it's late 1600's and "we're still living out East in Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York (I did mention that already, right?). 

When my Grandpa died over a decade ago, one of my cousins and I went exploring in the old farmhouse attic. Perhaps I read too many Nancy Drew books growing up to peak my interest. And how glad I am that my curiosity turned to courage. What we found was similar to a novel coming to life - and it was awe-inspiring! 

To our astonishment we found over a dozen old family journals, and a hundred plus of family pictures that go back so far it makes your head spin to process. It's taken me a few years to dig in. But that I have. And I am amazed. 

I am reminded of the truth that you cannot look for the living among the dead. How foolish of me to get so drawn in to staring at my family's past instead of investing in its future. 

But on the positive side, it has great benefit. You see, I live in a generation and culture that has great disregard for history, an accurate narrative of our nation's founding, or how older generations made their success. Their commitment to hard work, individual responsibility, and the personal fellowship of community, should be our quest as well. The older I get, the call for wisdom that I've spent my life reading in Proverbs is fermenting and coming alive in me. Wisdom asks that I appreciate its value, and seek for it like a precious jewel. And in response, it makes sense that I look "back" so I can appreciate where I came from, and I have a sense of what to carry into the future. 

Looking back gives context. And while everything from the early 1900's for example was not perfect, it reminds me that I have family that lived through the Roaring 20's, or World War II heroes that went to serve our nation, and survivors of the depression. I am not to let their heaviness burden my own soul as God gives grace to those who walk through it, when they walk through it. But because it's my family it gives me a nudge to have greater appreciation for these moments. Admit it. It makes history come alive. 

Men and women who worked hard to have a good life. Journals telling of the simple things that brought joy like Aunt and Uncle who came to visit a Great Grandma, and how at 11 years of age she had to journal about its significance. And a people who loved America that they fought to make it survive and thrive. 

I must remember that in the dead is not my hope, and it is not my life. However, it is a piece of my story. And why not understand your past so you can make better sense of "the rest of the story" ... aka my story and its future. 

So it's okay that family lived in New York for all those years and not all exploring the great out west (well, I still have a lot to discover in the research so who knows). On one hand I could be mad at them all that the foundation building all the ancestors did (or lack thereof) resulted in a mess my generation has to deal with. Like voting Franklin D. Roosevelt into office who made big government explode. 

But instead I have to dilute my judgment and believe the best (of which I will) - perhaps they are some who laid the foundation for freedom, stood against tyranny, and saw a bright tomorrow for our nation. And - well - that is a noble cause. I hope that I can follow well in their footsteps. 

Let the exploring - and the living - continue! The best is yet to come. 

- ajh

Powerful Quote on Marriage

Join me in celebrating Marriage Week by offering accolades to the positive features of marriage.

What a powerful quote this is. Stop complaining about it. Make it work, people. My generation needs your example that one man, one woman marriage is worth it.

Explore these pro-marriage sites: 

• Marriage Generation (I write for this one)
• National Organization for Marriage

FRC: Marriage Battle in Texas"Bowen to the Agenda, Not the Law"

Have I mentioned lately I love Family Research Council? What amazing information they send out!!

Here is a direct link to one of their emails from last week; in it it discusses the following item. It was significant enough as it deals with one man, one woman marriage, that I wanted to post it here for you as well.

Bowen to the Agenda, Not the Law (from 12/20/13 email)
While the American people are finally feeling the pain of same-sex "marriage," the courts seem intent on inflicting more. Yesterday, while the nation's eyes were on the most famous victim of the movement to redefine marriage, New Mexico became another.

By a unanimous vote, the judges invented a right for homosexuals to marry across the state, alleging that it was unconstitutional for voters to deny them the opportunity. "The members of the LGBT community do not have sufficient political strength to protect themselves from purposeful discrimination," they wrote (although Wednesday's events -- and the events of the past few years -- would strongly contradict that statement). Because of this "political powerlessness," the judges insisted, it was up to the court to step in and protect them. In their outrageous overreach, the court struck down the state's marriage laws -- making New Mexico the 17th state to create counterfeit marriage. While liberals take a victory lap, state conservatives are hunkering down to undo the court's damage. "If they are saying banning gay marriage is unconstitutional, we need to make it constitutional," said State Sen. Bill Sharer (R).

Deception Has Cloaked the Devil - Planned Parenthood and Its Founders' Agenda

I’d like to offer dignity to those who have utilized their services yet didn’t know. Your role in this narrative is non-important. What is important is the foundation of this entity, the agenda of its founder and what it looks like in the future.

Enter Planned Parenthood and Margaret Sanger.

I forget what source I was reading that highlighted this book Killer Angel, written by George Grant. The description that it was short, credible and a historical depiction of a life that few know about drew me to purchase it. The words on the page gripped me. The story of this woman makes you wonder how a person can be guilty of this level of evil and yet go unknown.

The author eloquently put Margaret Sanger’s life, the same generation and age range of Hitler, Stalin and Mussolini, in context:

“…Stalin would see to the slaughter of at least fifteen million Russian and Ukrainian kulaks… Mussolini would massacre as many as four million Ethiopians, two million Eritreans, and a million Serbs, Croats, and Albanians. As the wildly lionized Fuhrer, Hitler would exterminate more than six million Jews, two million Slavs, and a million Poles. As the founder of Planned Parenthood and the impassioned heroine of various feminist causes … Sanger would be responsible for the brutal elimination of more than thirty* million children in the United States and as many as two and a half billion worldwide.” (page 19; bold emphasis my own)

Our records of history and culture have justifiably branded Hitler, Stalin and Mussolini as cruel humans whose evil intents knew no bounds. But for some reason Margaret Sanger’s story has been hidden, cloaked in robes of glory, praise and justification. Our culture continues to live with this destructive chemical weapon in our back yard yet our understanding of it resembles that of the leaders of her day whom bought into her agenda. We, like her plethora of supporters did, prove ourselves fools, uneducated simpletons by allowing this monstrosity to continue.

Here are a few facts taken from Mr. Grant’s book:

• Margaret Sanger was a very troubled, broken and lost individual from youth until death. She was a sex addict beyond all reason. She was a gifted movement leader. And Planned Parenthood materialized from a small passion to implement the following ideas:
• She was a dedicated Eugenic… “thoroughly convinced that the ‘inferior races’ were in fact ‘human weeds’ and a ‘menace to civilization’.” (Page 83)
• Margaret’s efforts and business was “… from its inception implicitly and explicitly racist…evident in its various programs and initiatives: government control over family decisions, nonmedicinal health-care experimentations, the rabid abortion crusade, and the coercive sterilization initiatives.” (Page 85)
   
• She strategically placed her “clinics” in areas populated by those she saw as “unfit” for her crusade to ‘save the planet’. (Page 78) Her targeted cultures included those of the “Blacks, Hispanics, Amerinds, Fundamentalists, and Catholics” (Page 85) as well as Jews. She had no limits as to what she would do to accomplish her agenda.
• Around World War II, she and her colleagues “determined that all Planned Parenthood associations – regardless of social, cultural, or political contexts – make ‘legal access’ to ‘unrestricted abortion’ a ‘high priority.’” (Page 94)
• Margaret and her peers “made certain that each national affiliate would develop and implement ‘value-free’ sex-education curricula and programs…using perverse off-the shelf commercial pornography in elementary classrooms, undermining traditional values, usurping the authority of parents, and encouraging promiscuous activity…” (Page 95)
• Hitler and Stalin empathized or implemented her theories; one of her close friends was Hitler’s director of genetic sterilization, involved in the Nazi Society for Racial Hygiene. 

Somehow this story, depicted here by even a few points, goes untold while her facilities and their destruction reside in many communities in our states. They continue the agenda of a woman who wanted to eliminate those she deemed worthless. And we as Americans have let this atrocity continue.

Here’s a link to find Planned Parenthood corporate offices in your state or a list of facilities (example here is Michigan; see tab on upper right hand side of page for your own state info).

Our goal is not to demonize the people who are innocently involved, but to rescue them from destruction, as well as the women, fathers and unborn babes who are unknowingly caught up in this destructive agenda. This is where laws, local governments and alternative pregnancy resources centers play a role.

Here are three challenges:

1. Educate: Find the closest Planned Parenthood in your region. Educate yourself on this story and share it with your friends.
2. Pray: Network with others and start a prayer effort, specifically asking God: How can we help the people intertwined with this entity, and how do we remove this place and its agenda from our communities?
3. Act. Now. Take God’s instructions, and the wisdom of others – and act. 

“Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, ‘But we knew nothing about this,’ does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay each person according to what he has done?” (Proverbs 24:11 – 12)

Bless those who have not known. Love those who do not believe. But together set the story free to be told and to be known.

May our generation be written about in the history books: that in our time, Planned Parenthood was no longer utilized. Margaret Sanger, your poison has been exposed and your agenda will be inoculated.

Carry on Life Preservers… we have a job to do!
- ajh

*Please note the book was last published in 2001. The number over abortions is over 54 million in the US now.

The Millennials

This piece is written a few months ago, as a response to the concerned American Patriot who sees the direction our country is headed and desperately wants to awaken the “next generation” before it’s “too late”. But they do not know how to get the young person’s attention and they wonder if it’s worth the attempt. But before an action plan is formed, it is vital that they understand this generation, its culture, and worldview.

The Millennials 

Written by Amy J. Hawkins, a Millennial from Michigan

Josef Stalin once said: "America is like a healthy body and its resistance is threefold: its patriotism, its morality, and its spiritual life. If we can undermine these three areas, America will collapse from within."

As the Millennial generation, our world is very convoluted. Everything is relative. There are few absolutes and of those that do exist, many are morphed from their original intent. We have been raised on crumbling bedrock of diluted and re-created “truths”. It would not be surprising if we have the most discombobulated worldview since the fall of the Roman Empire.

This young adult generation has grown up in a culture of death. Our understanding of the value of life, from the unborn to the aging senior, is non-existent because we do not value our own. And, sadly, many times death is more appealing than life.

Our worldview is defined by the images on the TV screens and by our peers. We have not been raised with a reliance on God but have been conditioned that humanism is sufficient. The terms like honor, goodness, integrity, morality and character are antiquated and not understood. We are wandering and very lost. Nothing is simple in our lives.

We have seen the breakdown of the traditional family first hand, to the point we barely recognize what that family structure is or why it’s significant. We half-expect our parents’ self-destruction, failures and even successes to be repeated in us. We have barely a thought that God might have a good (or different) plan for us regardless of our heritage or role models.

Fidelity is a foreign word. We’ve seen parents show us it’s easier to leave than work things out. Our families are broken, displaced and patched together again, oftentimes resulting in too much experience of one parent homes. Many of us do not doubt our parent figures’ love of us but they are desperately wounded from their own struggles, let alone able to help us with ours. We live in the greying shadow of parents who have experienced divorce in their own childhood, troubled growing up years or abortions in their own wombs. Brokenness and conflict has leeched onto the spirits of our homes resulting in us serving as walking portraits of unseen and demoralized battlefields.

Many of us have grown up in homes that find us to be inconveniences or something to be controlled and scheduled. Our schools treat us as numbers and our communities and neighborhoods oftentimes find us a bundle of irresponsible attitude and therefore a “problem to be solved”.

In some situations, from childhood we are trained that busy is synonymous with a normal life. Our experiences include a whirlwind of sports, hobbies and experiences. When we grow old, silence and reflective stillness seem so irregular that we run from it every chance we get. We are individual islands, walking around at 90 mph in fashion that sends a message needing a psychology degree to decipher, eyes averted on our phones, ears plugged with the latest noise - all outward attempts to protect ourselves within.

We have little comprehension of time, generations or the fruitfulness of understanding history. We are raised among generations that don’t talk about their experiences, observations or reflections. We ‘kind of’ remember when abortion was a rarity, divorce a scandal and Playboy a naughty word. But our lives are void of those who take the regular moments to tell us stories and lessons learned, teach us the truths that need remembering, or to ask us questions and listen to discover our hidden potential.

We also are confused by the principle that sacrifice leads to reward. And we do not fully understand the military’s role in our lives.  The fact that freedom is not free, that evil must be fought and that defense must be a priority is lost on us.

We do not recognize perversion as it has become our reality. We find amusing the things God despises and therefore think nothing of compromising lifestyles. Lust, drinks and drug induced highs are euphoric moments that move us from our reality into something that seems more bearable and appealing. We’re taught to experiment with everything and everyone without limit, hardly looking toward the consequences.

We have watched old systems fail not only for ourselves but for our communities: marriages, peer groups, political parties, education institutions, and foster care, prison or government programs. Our trust is hesitant and temporary; our walls of defense are high; and unconditional faithfulness, while desired, is more-so not realistically expected.

Sadly, America’s young adults are not cultivated or equipped for Divine excellence but instead taught satisfaction with secular mediocrity. We are not entrusted with a vision or shown how to obtain our dreams. Success has been defined to us in terms of money, accomplishments, relationships and sex appeal. We are not around others who noticeably model Godly living standards, therefore how would we know they are worth obtaining?

Education is a social club, not an institution worth serious pursuit. Thoughts of content and substance aren’t necessary. We can use acronyms and “tweets” to communicate the messages we want to get across so why use the art of conversation? Technology is equivalent to oxygen. Our self-expression comes in many different forms. We are not taught to live with long term mindsets. Life for us is in the here and now. Patience is not a virtue. As a “microwave generation”, anything more than thirty seconds is too long. We are spoon fed philosophies by professors, while intentional critical thinking is not encouraged. 

We expect things to be given to us, relishing more in the life of careless beach babes than ambitious scholars or entrepreneurs; the idea of hard work seems an inconvenience; and there is no comprehension of running out, thanks to parents’ generosity, credit cards and the government’s enabling means.

Some of us have ideas but we don’t know where to start. And we are distracted by our obsession to live in others’ realities. Something is never enough, we always want more; our thirst is quenched by the purchase power; and government is already our default for provider and salvation. If we can get out of it we will; if we can’t, we’ll do the minimal to get by.

The commercials and talking heads tell us we are the answer: we can take over the world, solve issues of poverty and mass hunger, find homes for abused animals and make the planet sustainable. The challenge to “save the day” quickens our spirits for purpose but what we are not told is that their prediction rests on humanism, youth and idealism, dismissing the truth that efforts without God will leave the same tasks to the next generations that follow. And we will be left with the same emptiness as when we started.

Why don’t these bold voices mention that nothing but God will complete us? 

I am grieved at the fact that my generation cares more about those in another country than they do about those in their backyard. And I am ashamed at their unabashed attempt to demonize America. My peers are so painfully blinded by what’s not true that when an accurate account of history is put before them, it is blasphemed.

As a young and middle age adult, I am so very disappointed in our leaders whether in our churches, elected offices, universities, political parties or even families who oftentimes insult our intelligence and potential as young adults and lead us away from the truth. In our formative years, everything has been skewed and now as young adults we live within a twisted worldview, leaving us dangerously mis-led and out of balance.

My generation is reaping the consequences of the church’s faulty translations. And Americans of all age groups have overlooked the connection between God and morality and economic and cultural well-being. We - especially my generation - have detached the idea that beliefs, words and behavior have consequences. And, delightfully unaware, we suffer in the quake of moral absence.

The safest and most grounded place for us should be in the church. But, it oftentimes seems today’s church is gravely mis-led, as they do not exude the power and truth of the Gospel, but peddle a false idea of its comfort, ease and benefits. In the church, if we are there at all, we are encouraged to believe in God, but not to surrender to His Lordship or acknowledge our need for a Savior or rely on the God of Power. We are not presented with the truth that there is a Divine Destiny for our lives; that a Heroic and Loving God yearns for a relationship with us or the stability of law versus grace is necessary for true wholesome living.

And of grave concern is what the radical Muslim agenda is attempting to do to our country, how we have been infiltrated from within, and how their strategy continues a fast and subtle encroachment from every side. Sadly, I see the ignorance of my peers, oblivious to the presence of evil, denying that “anyone” would intentionally target and attempt to destroy our way of life and freedoms.

My generation is wandering, hurting, and even unconsciously feeling the repercussions of those missing from our generation (the 53 plus million aborted). We’ve been dumbed down, deceived and duped. We are medicated, wounded, manipulated, pre-defined, alone, distracted, broken, hopeless and lost. We need help.

Why doesn’t the older generation understand: the help we need does not include giving us life on a silver platter? We do not need more coffee shops and lattes or more incredible tools of technology. We do not need more “green” messages, catchy songs or twisted movies to attempt to solicit our attention and give us purpose and life. We don’t need parents for best friends; we need parents who establish guidelines riddled with mercy and forgiveness.

We do not need permission to surrender to our base humanity therefore eliminating all moral, respect and honorable boundaries under the mis-understood idea that we need ‘freedom to be ourselves.’ We do not need to be coerced into action, or coddled for fear of discomfort. We don’t need unfettered permission.

What do we need? We need truth. We need healthy families. We need righteous relationships. We need to observe and experience character, integrity and morality. We need boundaries, balance and consequences. We need help confronting our guilty hearts and assistance in unraveling the web of lies we’ve come to know as reality. We need someone to listen to us. We need someone to tell us we are beautiful and handsome and that our identity and worth must not be defined by the culture but by a Holy God.

We need help turning off the noise and learning to not be afraid of confronting our vulnerabilities with a Redeeming God. We need to feel safe and accepted. We need help “getting out” of our cultural, ancestral and peer groupthink. We need to know God rejoices in us not works against us.

We need healing, restoration and forgiveness. We need to know there’s nothing wrong with us! We need the relentless pursuit of unconditional love. We need silent support and public praise; we need to know our parents are proud of us and that we are not the ones who have messed up their lives. We need perspective. We need older people who will be resolved to invest in us. We need to be able to recognize goodness and see there is something more appealing than bequeathing life to our sinful nature. We need to know we’re not alone and that there is Someone worth living for.

Those with liberal agendas use bold and voracious attempts to claim our minds, hearts, spirits and souls. They might be winning the airwaves, our attention and the conversation but they are not winning our spirits. Deep down inside we know that something is still amiss.

Obviously not all of us fit into these depictions. But I think most of us have encountered more than one of these lies and wrestled with these battles of a sinful nature.

I fear we are in the day that Stalin hoped for: as a generation, our patriotism is waning, morality is lacking and spirituality is muddied. This status report applies to my generation but also to those preceding, let alone those who are watching and following us. I want my generation to cherish America and not dismiss it as an entitlement or a worthless cause. But most importantly, I want my generation to recognize what light is and come to the revelation that they are standing in deep darkness and, with the Help of a Savior, to then embrace their God-ordained destiny and purpose on this earth.  

In light of the despair I observe, the grief I feel and the agony for my generation I work to expose, I am resolved to rely on the God of Hope. And I know based on history, even with only a remnant, this nation can be restored. This can also be true about a generation.

With revelation of a Mighty God, and repentance towards His Principles, I am confident that America is not done, that we can do better, that my generation can become the second Greatest Generation. But the question of so many conservatives, including my own heart, remains: Where do we go from here? How do we reach the younger generation? And who will listen to those of us who “get it”?

There are a small few of us as millennials who want to serve as translators of three worlds: we appreciate the past, recognize the danger of the society we’re living in today and yearn to turn things around for tomorrow’s history books. We have one hand gripping on the truth of yesteryear, trying in the midst of this whirlwind of a culture to understand the truth of today, and with the energy that is left attempting to plant seeds for the future while hunkered down fighting for our lives. And sometimes it feels like we are losing.

If leaders took time to help us process all of the afore mentioned, understand our culture, determine how to translate the never changing absolute standards into language we understand, they might find the next American greats. The future George Washington Carvers, Ben Franklins, Harriet Tubmans, and Abigail Adams are diamonds in the rough waiting to be discovered.

Please help me awaken my generation so that Josef Stalin’s dream does not come true. I do not want the founding fathers' America to die. The agenda and marching orders of the 21st century's Stalins must not win. I do not want to lose more of my generation mentally, spiritually and physically. Please do not give up on us.

Too much blood has been spilled and sacrifice made for me not to do my part in fighting to save our freedoms and preserve this country.  So, with God’s help and examples of leadership like yours and many others, I will continue to stand my ground with resilience and not surrender my blessed and free America.

Gratefully, your fellow patriot, servant and friend,

Amy J. Hawkins

Michigan

Note: Please do not reproduce without permission. Thank you (amyjaynehawkins@gmail.com). 

Truth & Lies: A Reflection On Us

The truth is our calibration to true north, the perfect formula for deriving an accurate assessment and the source to unbelievable peace and happiness. In the latest headlines, involving corrupt government leaders, misguided public policy debates and political scandals galore, the ability to find the truth seems to be a whimsical fairytale.

When we were children, it was emphasized to us repeatedly that under no circumstances was telling a little or big lie justifiable or honorable. In fact, if we did attempt such a feat, there would be great consequence. But older years taught some that to tell a “fib” can get one out of an unwanted situation and sadly, that scenario was the more appealing choice at times versus getting “caught”. When the act of lying becomes an art of familiarity, we eventually become desensitized to the lies coming out of our own mouths. And, the nerves connected to our conscience become numb to the guilt.

It is true that at times the truth is hard, painful, inconvenient and disappointing. But, the truth is right, wise and brings Providence’s blessing. To mock its existence and gird ourselves with another layer of lies is of monumental consequence to us, those around us and our world.

The aroma of the national narrative is putrid, and the successive confusion overwhelming. The list seems endless: Benghazi, IRS fiasco, NSA leaks, scandal of Fast and Furious, manipulation of the news media, deception in the US Justice Department, leaders getting caught in heinous acts, political agendas controlling court rulings. The list of discrepancies does not seem to end.

However, I believe Americans must look deeper. If we have high expectations of those in governing authority, we should have higher expectations of ourselves. After all, it is you and me who are in some way contributing to these leaders being in office (yes, elections matter). If we are expecting excellence from our leaders, honesty in all of their exchanges, and integrity in their personal lives, should we not ask the same of ourselves?

Are we being truthful in our own lives, with our families, with our pocketbooks, with our local communities? Are we living lives of excellence that our children, and nieces and nephews, neighbors can aim to model and spouses respect?

In no way am I excusing the poor behavior, mis-management of our tax dollars and dishonorable activity of some of our current leaders. But as we point one finger at our culture’s leaders, I think it is important to consider how many fingers are pointing back at us. How can we expect exemplary behavior from them if we are not doing the same for those looking to us, as their leaders?

In the natural progression of anything, things grow one on top of another. Until someone peels back the moldy layer, stops the domino affect or quits adding another layer to the faulty pyramid, the progression will continue. The elected leaders, government department heads and reporters in the media should be held to a high standard both on national, state and local level. But so should we. And perhaps now as we pray for truth to be revealed in all scenarios, and consider whom we should elect next time to replace certain leaders, it’s also a good time to examine our own lives.

When you and I justify certain rationale for reasons we did this or that, we may not be judged in the headlines or voting booth. But as individual people the only judgment that truly counts is our conscience before God.

Aristotle said: “The least initial deviation from the truth is multiplied later a thousand fold.” You and I are experiencing a culture where lies have been multiplying, configuring and building upon one another for decades. While the penalty of our nation’s ways does not necessarily rest on our shoulders, its redemption can. The truth is best for everyone. In order for the truth to do its job and accomplish its purpose, the lies must stop. And the truth’s success starts with you and me.

Video: Every Day is Father's Day

The one man, one woman marriage case by the US Supreme Court will be announced tomorrow. On the eve of this announcement, I am reminded of how grateful I am for both a man, and a woman as my parents. There is nothing that can replace the role of married parents aka a mom ... and a dad.

To those who have not had that union represented in your own home: dads can also be in the face of a mentor, an amazing uncle or grandfather or even a fatherly figure in your community.

There is no one who can compare with the Father we all share - He's pretty crazy about you and He never fails. Here's to being leaders in our generation that applaud dads and make it popular again to be a culture that loves our earthly fathers and gives allegiance to our Heavenly One.

Every day is a day made by Pappa God... let me know what you think:



I've posted this and other favorite videos here, on a special tab of my blog.

Op Ed: To Compete or Die

To all the well-meaning coaches, teachers, parents, day care providers, professors and doting grandparents, I have one very important question for you: Why are you trying to kill our spirit to excel?

You ask us to play nice, to appease the loser, to dispel the disappointment. You expect us to share the glory, run slower so someone else won’t feel left out, and to share the first place blue ribbon with 30 other children. To not win first place, get the highest promotion or graduate with the distinguished honors while others are valued less seems morally wrong to some. After all, life just isn’t fair, but it should be.

Or, should it?

Ever since the Garden of Eden, there has been competition. Adam and Eve battled with their will and discovered the eternal competition between good and evil. A babe competes for his mother’s attention. A man pursues a woman in hopes, but not guarantee, of winning her heart. The Founding Fathers competed for the colonist’s loyalty: freedom as independent American or tyranny with restraints under King George. The buck vies for the doe. The hawk scurries for his game. The sunshine races to pierce the clouds. The mind vies between reason and faith, human nature vs God and decisions to obey vs disobey. Competition is a part of life. Competition is not easy. But it is something that makes us better than we were before, whether we are the last in line or the first to complete the race.

The question is not how to eliminate the sting of a defeat. But the question you as adults, parents, guardians are slowly subtly surrendering to is will I allow my child to fail? Failure is not for forever, but if you allow it, it can be the tantalizing lure to hasten our steps to something even better.

To win has sometimes a momentary victory or a long time reward. To lose has momentary disappointment but even more so than a win, it makes someone even more a champ based on how one responds. To some it is a catalyst for the buffing of their character, refining of their skills, or harnessing of one’s nature. It can make a boy a man, a girl a woman, an Olympic hopeful a gold medallion owner. By fostering the opportunities for fair competition, taking advantages of losses to put life in perspective, and helping your child or young adult determine how to improve their skill – you help them for life.

So next time your child’s little league coach wants to give a gold trophy to all the children, your teenager’s high school has 12 Valedictorians out of 24 graduates, or you have to make a decision to provide all your employees with a raise even though they did not all perform with excellence to necessarily deserve the reward, take a stand.

You do us no favors by fighting for us to have the right to have no competition at all. Everything in life is a competition. But it’s how you help frame it that sets our course. Help us be a generation, not of apathy but a generation motivated with passion to increase our success. To lose is okay. It makes the wins all the sweeter. And it makes us a better person in the process.

- ajh

Lack of competition – results in apathy: “If you're not gonna go all the way, why go at all?” 

― Joe Namath

FRC Social Conservative Review

Family Research Council is one of the groups I LOVE promoting! I am so grateful for their work. They are definitely a Watchman on the Wall for those who care about traditional family values.

Here is a portion or sample of their Social Conservative Review. Visit the post on their site for the whole list! Sign up for their emails and support their work! 

See the whole list here (or visit a few samples below)

Educational Freedom and Reform

Homeschooling

• "Homeschooling and the Attack on Religious Freedom," Family Research Council
• "Homeschoolers Help Stop Raytown Daytime Curfew," Home School Legal Defense Association
• "Americans Warned: Home Schoolers Stripped of Rights," CBN News

Legislation and Policy Proposals

• "Accelerated Learning Would Add Trillions of Dollars in Wealth," The American
• "After Persepolis: Graphic Novels Challenged in the Classroom," Education Week
• "Accountability Dilemmas," EducationNext
• "Why Changing The GED To Incorporate Common Core Worries Adult Educators," NPR

College Debt

• "Imagine No College Debt (It Isn't Hard to Do)," The Atlantic
• "No more student loan debt at College of the Ozarks," The Deseret News
• "Real World Impacts of Growing Student Loan Debt," Fox Business
• "How Do Schools Stack Up?," The Wall Street Journal
• "Student Loan Write-Offs Hit $3 Billion in First Two Months of 2013," The College Fix

Government Reform
Regulation

• "Has government regulation slowed the recovery?," Tampa Bay Times
• "Government by regulation," The Washington Times

Waste/Fraud/Abuse

• "Ridiculous government waste," The Hill
• "Fiscal hawks say government waste, unspent funds could offset sequester," Fox News
• "Kansas legislation would create redundant agency to cut government waste,"KansasWatchdog.org

Health Care
Abstinence

• "Sex education 'should promote value of abstinence'," The Telegraph
• "Abstinence added to sex-ed legislation by State Senators; House needs to reconsider the bill," The Denver Channel
• "Hooking kids on sex: Start "saturation process" in kindergarten," The Washington Times

Health care reform: Political and Legislative efforts

• "'Not One Dime': Health Care Law Projected to Add $6.2 Trillion to U.S. Deficit," The American
• "Tennessee Gov. undecided on Medicaid expansion," The Galen Institute
• "Why Health Care Needs Attention from Republicans," The Houston Chronicle
• "Health Care and Republican Governors," National Review Online
• "Happy Birthday, Obamacare!," The Library of Law and Liberty

Homosexuality
With the Supreme Court deciding on same-sex "marriage," read FRC's Peter Sprigg'sblog posts on Defining Marriage.

• "Employment Non-Discrimination Act threatens free markets," CNN
• "Don't Do It, for the Kids," U.S. News and World Report
• "Morning Bell: The Marriage Debate Through a Child's Eyes," The Heritage Foundation
• "'Gay Marriage' and Religious Freedom Are Not Compatible," RedState
• "Same-Sex Marriage: We're Playing Chess, Not Checkers," The Public Discourse
• "Getting The Marriage Conversation Right," Catholic Stand
• "Religious Liberty and the Same-Sex Marriage Cases: the Arguments," The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty
• "Young Opponents of Same-Sex Marriage Undaunted," New York Times

Human Life and Bioethics
Abortion

• "Mind-Boggling Abortion Statistics from China," Family Research Council
• "Washington to Force Abortion Insurance?," National Review Online
• "Abortion in France Gives Ireland the Benefit of Hindsight," Turtle Bay and Beyond
• "Abortion Advocates Handcuffed By Previous Agreement," C-FAM
• "MD Board of Physicians Refuses to Accept Complaints from 5,000 Citizens," Students for Life of America
• "New bill could drastically reduce number of abortion facilities in Texas," Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
• "North Dakota passes slew of pro-life bills, including heartbeat bill, ban on abortions for Down's," LifeSiteNews.com
• "China Admits to the Greatest Slaughter in Human History," The Gospel Coalition
• "Kansas Becomes Third State This Year to Pass Sweeping Pro-Life Laws," Liberty Counsel

Euthanasia and End of Life Issues

• "NICE's end of life decision making scheme: impact on population health," BMJ
• "Liberal Euthanasia Activists Redfining Sedation Into Killing," LifeNews.com
• "Euthanasia should be option for humans, too," The Daily Athenaeum

Marriage and Family

Family Economics

• "What Tocqueville Knew," The Wall Street Journal
• "The Secret to Success for Social Entrepreneurs: Innovative Obedience?," Values and Capitalism
• "What Economics Can't Explain," The Acton Institute
• "What Principles Are Important for Human Flourishing?," Institute for Faith, Work, and Economics
• "The Trader Joe's Lesson: How to Pay a Living Wage and Still Make Money in Retail, "The Atlantic
• "The Broken Trust of Money," New York Sun
• "Why do economists recommend college for its benefits but not marriage?," The Iona Institute

Family Structure

• "What I Stand For," Townhall.com
• "New Report: 48 Percent of First Children Born to Unwed Mothers," CNSNews.com
• "After Steubenville: 25 Things Our Sons need to know about Manhood," A Holy Experience
• "Holy Matrimony: The Unexpected Connection Between Religion & Sexual Fulfillment,"Salvo Magazine
• "The Case for Getting Married Young," The Atlantic
• "We Don't Need to Redefine Marriage to Fix Policy Problems," The Public Discourse
• "Give working families a rest," The Briefing

Keep reading! 

A Woman Left to Die. Our President Supported Those Like Her.

Hear this woman's short and powerful story. Then understand President Obama's alignment with this issue. If you only get your young adults attention for 1 minute regarding the election, and they care about life, have them watch this. It just might wake them up.

FRC's Social Conservative Review

A resource you definitely should check out and share on your network.

Thanks Family Research Council!

http://www.frc.org/socialconservativereview/the-social-conservative-review-the-insiders-guide-to-pro-family-news-august-16-2012

Am I That Frog?

Do you know what's scary? How aware I am to the demoralization of our country yet how dumbed down I feel about it. It's like being in a walk in freezer for a significant amount of time. Your head knows it's cold, and your body definitely feels the cold. You felt the shock initially when you entered the freezer and felt the bitter temperature of this cooler, but you're starting to get used to it, partly because you're losing all sense of feeling. Over just a short amount of time, your current reality becomes your normality! The frightening thing is not realizing how dangerously close you are to freezing to death - if you don't "come to" and get out of the freezer soon.

How many times have we heard the story of The Frog in the boiling water. If you put a frog in hot water, he'll jump out. But if you put the frog in cold water and slowly turn up the heat, he won't notice. And he'll eventually be cooked. This story is often used as an example of us as individuals in a culture where moral guidelines and virtuous boundaries are slowly losing their importance to us because we have become so normalized to the "wrong" that is happening around us.

Both of these visuals are meant to highlight what I identify my own self wrestling with and what I observe my country dealing with en mass - and lethal - proportions.

The stories don't stop. Families are falling a part. Kids, including the most recent in Detroit and Ohio, are shooting and killing one another, even their own parent. Evidently it's the "best" way they know how to deal with conflict. Other people are suffering from eating disorders because they have had a poor example of beauty presented to them. The use of drugs is taking lives. Alcohol abuse caused a young man to drive into a tree and die way too soon. Girls are getting pregnant out of wedlock in massive numbers. They just want to be loved and accepted and to have someone to love. Children experiencing the painful breakup of parents' marriages, including perhaps the departure of the live-in boyfriend-turned dad. Parents in prison and perhaps dealing with an unjust Justice system. College students not recognizing their purpose in life are twiddling away their brilliant minds, and time on too much of the meaningless things. The addictions that are started as innocent experiments torment individuals' lives. Like I said, the stories of our hurting communities, country and world don't stop.

There is no one person I'm thinking of as I write this piece. And there is no condemnation to those reading this who identify with the struggles mentioned. However, there is compassion for what people are dealing with. And angst for what our demoralization in this country has caused us individually and collectively. The sad thing is, do we - do I - fully realize how far we've gone? How hot the water is? And how close we are to "freezing" to death?

I work in the political arena, am delighted with listening to talk shows and getting their assessments of what is happening in the government culture, world affairs, getting to know candidates and hearing what they want to do if elected to office. But I am beyond exhausted of hearing the majority's solution to our quest for success again as a country: the way we "get back on track - is the economy, jobs, economy, jobs, jobs, economy and more jobs. There is this unspoken assumption that if we just fix the economy we will make our world right again. 

When are we - brilliant, smart, intelligent Americans - going to wake up? Economy and social values go hand in hand.

Shocker of the century, fellow Americans but there is still absolute truth. There always has been, there always will be. Absolute truth means it does not change, no matter what the circumstances, scenario, individual or timing.

God loves people. Since the very beginning, He has given us tips, rules, guidelines that are for our best. His ideal is not to poo-poo our fun!! But it's to define boundaries and checks and balances that, if followed, will make us successful, thriving and happy residents of this world! But when we ignore them time after time after time - as individuals, cultures, nations - we lose sight of what's right and wrong in His eyes. We lose the calibration. And all "hell breaks lose". We become floundering kids trying to make our way on our own. Because of this, the economy suffers, the culture suffers, our health and well being as individuals suffer, our relationships suffer, the families, education systems, government affairs all suffer. How do we not see this, heed it and act upon it? 

If you have individuals living virtuous lives within God's guidelines, you have healthier families, who contribute to healthier work forces. You have healthier children in schools if they are raised with consequences, balance and family structure.  Healthy individuals give us healthy economies. Healthy economies might improve the outward needs for a time. But not for long sustainability. It will quickly fade unless we address the right things first.

Our problem as a culture is that we've been the frog in the water. Things have been slipping for eons. Wrong things have turned into the right and new expected norms. The good and true is now scoffed at and shunned. And we - specifically as Americans (for this conversation) find ourselves floundering, so far off track we are not sure how to get back.  We are already experiencing the soul-less culture of self-gratification and human-problem solving. And I just wonder how close we are to losing our lives.


These things are connected. Oh, they are so connected. When the absolute standards of morality and virtue are removed from our society, when a mis-understood definition of God continues to duplicate among generations, peers and societal cultures, and when we have no calibration with our own conscience or good and evil, our society falters and everything else suffers.

And that's what is happening now. I don't know about you, but I want to grieve. I know where the hope lies - it's in the ever hopeful and faithful Father who is in the process of redeeming and restoring and showing us how to turn the boiling water down. It's when it doesn't bother me at all that scares me.

I wasn't born yesterday. I know the economy is important. But we've become fixated on one thing for so long. We cannot fix the house of a nation until we address what the real problem is. We cannot save the frog until we turn down the boiling water. And we cannot rescue the near frostbitten friend until they are removed from the freezer and "re-calibrated" to what the God-designed norm was meant to be. For this friend, it's a healthy body temperature. For us, it's returning to what God defines as good and right and true and abandoning those pieces of our life that are wrong, dirty and corrupt. Until we address this, the health of our society and nation is not going to return.

There is hope my friend to saving America, improving our communities and changing the world. But the question remains that demands an answer: will we recognize these dangers and do something about it? Or.. will we simply turn the boiling water even hotter.