The Awana Games

Awana is a Christian youth organization. It meets once a week at a selected church, where parents bring their children to be taught the Word of God and engage in different sports and recreational activities. They celebrate the "Awana Games" once a year. I had the privilege of attending the Awana Games today. I saw hundreds of children between the ages of five and ten participate in this joyful, athletic and competitive sports activity which was held at Shadow Mountain Church in El Cajon, California. It was so tremendous! I will never forget this fun-filled function on this St. Patricks day weekend. The one thing that is foremost in my mind is the spirit of the event. Yes, the spirit, the atmosphere. I greeted many friendly people. I witnessed no arguments, or angry, bitter, drunk, loaded or belligerent people. I saw no beer stands. I smelled no marijuana. I have no doubt that many present have participated in the aforementioned. However, their attendance to this event indicates that they have decided to make choices that are better and more fulfilling for themselves and their families. I will not hesitate to declare why this event was so special. The reason it was, and will continue to be in the future is because this function honored Jesus Christ. This creates a "no lose" proposition. With Jesus you can only win. He is the greatest gift to the human race. With no pun intended.......He is also the greatest gift to the children's competitive races I witnessed today. Praise the name of Jesus!

What Is Your Value?

What if a car engine was only able to allow the car that it is in to travel one-fourth of a mile per gallon of gasoline? Would you like to own that car? If you would like to own it, I doubt that you would drive it very often. Machines require maintenance, power, and trained people to be able to operate them. Machines serve a purpose. They are designed for productivity and to make life more comfortable. From the point of view of economics, when a machine is more costly to maintain and operate than what it produces or provides, then the owner of that machine ceases to use it. This is common sense. What about people? Well, they have intrinsic value. Intrinsic value? Does this mean that individuals have no need to be productive human beings? I know that people are not machines. However, if people are not trained/taught to be productive, we are in serious trouble. Please check this quote by Martin H. Fischer, a German-born American physician and author.......... "A machine has value only as it produces more than it consumes, so check your value to the community. "

"The Willingness To Learn"

How willing are you? How bad do you want it? Is it worth it for you to pay the price? So......pay the price. During my coaching days, I used to always tell my players: "You need to want it more than they want it." As the saying goes: "Knowledge is power." In order to acquire knowledge, one needs to learn. In order to learn, one needs to want to learn. As the Prophet Hosea states: "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." Do you want to have knowledge? Of course you do. In order to have it, one must acquire it. To acquire it, one must learn it. To learn it, one must want to. RD............ "The capacity to learn is a gift; The ability to learn is a skill; The WILLINGNESS to learn is a choice." Unknown

Netanyahu's Visit

The following letter is a comment I wrote to a news outlet regarding Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the United States. Here it is.......... "Netanyahu, in my opinion, is the greatest speaker on this planet. Most politicians have not been through what Benjamin has been through. He is definitely a great leader who speaks from a vantage point far different from any leader in this world. He is not just about rhetoric. He represents a man who loves his country. His words reflect the desire for his country to survive. How many countries do you know of whose enemies are so fierce that they are determined to see their demise? Israel is a hated nation, even in spite of the fact that it is a blessing to this world. I worship no man. All men have faults. I worship the one and only God whose “name is above every name.” But I will say this about Benjamin Netanyahu.........his words will be memorable."

Forgiveness Changes The Present

Obviously, not everyone sees it this way, but forgiveness is essential. It is necessary. It is Godly, God inspired and the will of God. Sometimes it is not easy. However, in some ways it is common sense because it can relieve a person of a serious burden. On the other hand, some people refuse to forgive because that is their way of acquiring revenge, or of punishing the offender. Look at it this way: I know people can (and do) hurt us. But do we need to continue hurting ourselves over the matter? Today, on the back of a magazine, I found a hand-written quote that discusses forgiveness. I do not know the author, and I am unable to give the person any credit for writing it. Here it is:............"Forgiveness changes the present, not the past. Forgiveness is a personal choice. It is not about changing the person who hurt you. It is not about condoning their actions or even reconciling with them. It is a choice you make to heal yourself."

Hey......Mr. Anthropologist......

He has never called himself an anthropologist. He may even be unfamiliar with the academic discipline of Anthropology. What is anthropology, anyway? According to Webster's definition, it is "the scientific study of the origin and the physical, social and cultural development and behavior of humans." I have talked to tourists, travelers, vacationers, visitors and the like about their trips to Mexico, Central America and South America. I get the impression sometimes, that they do not like to see other travelers where they are visiting. I get the impression that they have preconceived notions about how conditions "should be." How the indigenous people "should be." They act disappointed because an "Indian" has a cell phone or a computer and knows how to use it. What did he expect? "Mr. Anthropologist" finds solace in studying indigenous peoples of Latin America. But sometimes he doesn't realize that those people are sometimes exposed to technology and are able to view different ways of living, and at times, these ways have proven to be very attractive to them. But sometimes, "Mr. Anthropologist," in his condescension, does not see it that way. He prefers to see a living textbook in front of him, that conforms to some sort of mystique he has developed in his mind and expectations.

Patriotism, Flag Salutes And National Anthems

The following entry is a letter I wrote to GOP-USA, in response to an article they published regarding a lack of patriotism in our country.......... "Patriotism or no patriotism, flag salute or no flag salute, National Anthem or no National Anthem. If this country is NOT a great place to live, if it is NOT a great place for opportunities, if it is NOT a great place to practice your freedoms and pursue your dreams…..then why do many people risk their lives to get here? Why do they give their life savings to a stranger, who has promised to bring them here, who may mistreat and/or physically harm them? Why do unescorted children come here? Why have small-statured men and women been found under hoods of cars, and hanging on to a car by way of a chassis? Why do they swim the Rio Grande and Pacific Ocean or take unsafe boats? Why are they willing to hide inside of suitcases and attempt to be cargo on board ships and planes? I’ll tell you why in 5 words: It is a great country! I did not say it is a perfect place. There are no perfect places. And there won’t be any. Not on this planet at least. I have no problem loving this country. I might hate or dislike this country if I had a great deal of bitterness, anger, hatred and jealousy. But those are issues I must deal with myself, and no country in this world can help me with them."