Corrupting Crutches

The public school system is corrupt. Students are three to six years behind in reading, which is unacceptable. In Arizona homeschoolers are no longer required to take standardized tests because they were embarrassing the public school kids. It is not because the homeschoolers are so far advanced. They are at the right level or at least close to it and the public school kids are just really far behind. Schools are dummying down curriculum to accommodate students who could care less about school. If they would apply themselves they could easily be at an adequate level. Every child has the potential to be an A student, especially with all the crutches that teachers are forced to provide.

Tasting My Own Medicine

i started writing this article last year at school but never really completed till recently. i believe this with all my heart but have done a very poor job at following my own advice. someday i hope to achive true contenment and disciplin. God is constantly working on me and im glad that he'll never give up. what would any of us do without him? im so glad i dont have to know wat that is like. i hope u enjoy and if u dont agree i would like to be enlightened. May the Lord bless you and keep you in your coming years.

The Value of Time

A Persons life is defined not by the large things that happen but by the miniscule choices that one makes every day. One thing that plays a large part in our decision making is time. People say that “stopping to smell the roses” is a waste of time, or that they don’t have time for this or that. They say, “Life is short, get done what you can.” Life is only short because we make it so. We don’t have time for the important things, only the urgent ones. The things that need doing now are what hold our attention. There are 86,400 seconds in every day and usually all 86,400 of them are stolen by unimportant urgency. We need to ask ourselves “What matters more?” We need to strictly sort out our priorities. People at the end of their lives say things like “If only I hadn’t chosen to…I wouldn’t be here.” or “If only that one person that one time hadn’t made that one decision, I would be a completely different person.” These decisions are dictated predominantly by time. The only truly unforgiving thing in this world is time. You can’t go back once you’ve gone forward. Every moment is someone’s first, and every moment is someone’s last. Life goes on from beginning to end. What will you do with your time? Choose what you will do with your time in a manner that you want be ashamed of when you reach eternity. I saw a t-shirt the other day that said, “Live your life so the pastor doesn’t have to lie at your funeral.” I know you have heard it a million and one times but don’t put off for tomorrow what you could get done today. This proverbial phrase has been lightly thrown around for years, but how can it be diligently applied? I cannot tell you that for I too struggle horribly with this issue. I have found that the American culture is a slave to the tyranny of Time. Almost every new invention that comes out is to make things easier and to fit them in to your “busy schedule” because you don’t have time to do it the other way. A few examples of these inventions are as follows: microwave ovens, Campbell’s soup to go, anything portable, fast food, e-mail replaces letters and cell phones replace home phones. I’m not saying these are bad things just making my point of how dependant Americans have become of things that are quick and easy so it doesn’t slow down their busy lifestyle. One of my favorite things to say when I’m joking around with my friends about how life is too hectic is “Stop the world I wanna get off!” I imagine the world spinning around at a super high speed and me jumping off into outer space where everything is calm and peacefully slow. Unfortunately though we cannot just jump off the world when life gets crazy, but we can make an effort to slow it down by prioritizing our priorities (my apologies for the redundancy). I hope this strikes a cord and that we can all, myself included, slowly begin to convert from unimportant urgency to non-urgent importance. I have one last question to leave you with. Why spend your life attaining your American dream and building your career only to find at the end of your life that you have passed things by and wasted all your strength and energy on working?

Realizations

ok so im already starting to realize a few things after my Mexico trip. one of them is that it is extremely easy to be kind and encouraging to those who r kind and encouraging, but insanely difficult to be kind and encouraging to those who are not. im struggling to hold on to the attitude towards people and things that i formed while in Basconcobe. i think that the people who arent dont realize it, and i didnt really either before but now im finding out just how bad my own attitude was before our trip. my goal is to hold my "sunny disposition" and shine it on those around me. please pray for me in this because im already having difficulties and i think a lot of that is because i once again have the luxeries of my american lifestyle. i need to be able to live the way i have been but less selfishly and i guess like more going with the flow and not always having to have things my own way. i miss my Mexico family but im glad to be back with my family family. monkey boy gets home tomorrow and midget man hasnt been too bad so we're all doin great. i need to go do my devos and get in bed. ttfn luv ya all lots. night

An Ongoing Mission

hey we r back frum Mexico!!! we had a blast it was soooooo much fun. but not only did we have fun, we made a difference or rather God did in the lives of those in Basconcobe and in our own. im so excited to share all the stories but i fear that will take forever lol. it is impossible to explain everything that happened there so you should just check it out for yerselves. i miss everyone in Mexico already we met so many interesting and wonderful people. the children were so fun and they followed us everywhere begging for piggy back rides. God is truly amazing and we got to see firsthand and experience his love for us and our fellow believers in Mexico, and his magnificent glory and power. his provision is so prominent, and his grace insurmountable. every single person in our group came away from this trip touched and changed in some way or another. each testimony blazes for the glory of God and burns bright for his amazing sovereignty. i want to encourage any and all who read this to continue faithfully in yer walk and seek out the beauty and sovereignty of God every day. upon our departure we recieved bracelets that say, "Amar A Dios Es Amar A Todos" which means "To Love God Is To Love All" ill try to recap some of my trip later but until then may the Lord bless you and keep you. hasta la vista!!

Ariba!

Yaaaaay Mexico!!! im goin ta mexico on a mission's trip with my youthgroup. im a little nervous and aprehensive about the whole trip but im sure it will be great. my big bro is going which is exciting cuz i havent seen him in 5 weeks and i miss him a ton!!!!!!! i hope he hasnt changed too much, but of course some change (hopefully for the better lol) is inevitable. im all packed and ready to go. as K would say we r leavin at the butt freakin crack o' dawn!!!!!!!! lol 4:00
!!!!yipes!!!! o well. well i guess there isnt much else to say....ill be gone till like the 11th i think but i will give a complete update wen i get back. aight adios!!! o wait one question..............wat the heck does ariba mean anyway?!?!?!?!? haha lol ttfn