Reflections of a Child

If you made less than 12,000 dollars this year, than you would be considered an individual in poverty; that is to say, you would be considered extremely poor (US Census Bureau). Poverty is caused in many ways. From weak educational backgrounds to drug addictions, poverty has affected many lives for the worse. Impoverished individuals experience a lower standard of living than those above the poverty line, which causes significant negative effects to their emotional stability, physical health, and their ability to function in society. In order for the problem of poverty to be properly addressed, people first need to become aware of the magnitude of the issue, and then give support to groups and programs which are already fighting it. Poverty spreads far and wide, and it touches every life in some way or another. According to the World Bank, nearly 15 percent of the global population lives below the international poverty line (The World Bank). That means that just under 500 million peo...

People are strange. Throughout all the ages of man, armies have wasted their lives going to war over things as frivolous as an apple as well as many who kill themselves and others in the name of a divine being that they have never even seen. At the same time, many heroes have given their lives in protecting liberty and standing up for justice and freedom. What could cause people to make decisions such as these? The ancient Greeks believed that there was a part within each of us that caused us to make irrational decisions like these. This was called Thymos. Plato wrote extensively on the topic. He said that all forms of society are born from this philosophy of Thymos, and I agree. Upon examination we can find that political initiative, the life blood of a free society, flows from the attributes of Thymos. Likewise, if we do not control this place within, we will develop a weaker more tyrannical society. The Thymos that dwells within each of us is the seat of our passions. It has...

Walking down the streets of a large city, you look around. What do you see? You see the towering buildings touching the sky. You see the extensive infrastructure and expensive cars stretching on into eternity. Towering above our meager lives, society casts a long shadow across the earth. Now take a step back. Look a little bit closer. Beneath the shadows of every immense building, and on the corner of every busy street you can find something much smaller, but ever so much more important. Lurking in the shadows there are the people who have been cast aside by this massive society. The poor, sick, needy masses who are left on the corner of a road pleading, pleading for someone to show them the smallest compassion. But day after day, they are tossed aside by people who see a world no deeper than their own selfish desires. Two years ago, a tiny girl stepped onto a street corner under the shadow of the selfish city. She was not homeless, not in need, not there to beg for compassion....

A fire dances on the ground, The darkened forest makes no sound, The sky is pricked with pins of light, And the lake reflects them to my sight. *** The water moves with a calm grace. As I glance down and glimpse my face, I try to look past the distorted reflection, I wonder if I'm able to gain perfection. *** This forest world is shadow filled,  The darkness breaks what'er I build.  Light and truth are seldom found,  In a forest with no wholesome sound.  *** Upon this earth is nothing worthy,  Of any form of transcendent glory,  But from the twilight I lift my eyes,  And perceive the stars upon the skies... *** I see light and truth reflected clear, And I to heaven now draw near!  The darkened shadows of the earth,  Are small when next to the stars rich mirth.  *** The fire here echos the fire in my heart,  The heaven above is but a small part, Of the beauty and glory of our lov...

Through the last century there has been a huge rise of what is called "Moral Relativism." This method of thinking simply states that right and wrong are not absolute and true for everyone at every time, as moral objectivism dictates. Upon hours of research and pondering on the concept of morals, philosophers determined that the difference between the two modes of thinking comes down to the question of where morals come from. If morals come from God, than they are true to everyone at all times. They are objective. In contrast, there is the idea that God either doesn't exist, or doesn't give us an absolute right or wrong moral code. The argument would then be made, that people must receive their morals from somewhere, and if they don't come from God, where would they come from? The scientist would point out that the animal kingdom is full of examples of animals who work together well and treat each other well, without having any objective moral code. Those who bel...

The snow is falling in soft stillness, So peaceful for my mind, But the night soon rests on the heart Bringing the cold of the winter wind. In the twilight of the day, The wind wakens beings confined, And faeries begin to dance and flit, To the music of the winter wind. The shadow of a gentile breeze, Now seen dancing with the snow, Awakens something deep inside, A winter wind in the soul. In the deepest hours of the night, The power of dark is highest, The faeries turn to ogres now, The winter wind is whitest! The snow and shadow go to battle, the faeries slay the storm and kill, The ogres of the darkened sky, and the winter wind begins to still. The walls of wind encircle now, Like white ribbons in the air, The night still rules the storm and sky, Dawn finds the winter wind still there. As a new sun rises on the day, the storm, at last, is broken, But the storm of soul still swirls on, Your winter wind awoken. Thu...

The last few months have been filled with lots of pondering on my purpose in life. I've always had a pretty clear idea of what I'm to do with my life, but the concept of sacrifice for a righteous cause has frightened me. How much am I willing to give up for righteousness? It's a scary thought, thinking about what might be asked of you. But the recent months have prepared my heart for this, and I am at peace now. I can only want to share that peace with others. What shall we Sacrifice? What are we to give up for righteousness? The Lord often repeats that we must give our all. It's pretty straight forward, and daunting. What if we aren't giving our all? Or if we aren't giving it up for the right purpose? How shall we stand before the throne with a clean conscience after Christ has said that we must "be perfect, like I, or your Father which is in Heaven, is perfect?"  We find ourselves in a very materialistic and egocentric world. It's very di...

I do often find myself, When thinking quietly, About the world around us,  What has nature taught to me? As I see the reds and golds,  Of Autumn's cheerful glory,  I see the falling leaves and think,  What is nature teaching me?  I watch the wind blow through the grass,  As the leaves fly from the tree,  I think of faith, and things not seen,  The ways nature teaches me!  I think of winter coming soon,  Like the Saviors misery,  Taking color from the world, What nature teaches me... But after winter, spring will come, With all it's brightness be,  Like Christ rising from the tomb,  And His nature teach to me!  Oh Lord my God, what is my part, In making all men free?  May nature fill my heart with light,  By what it teaches me. 

Faith, Hope, Charity, Love, With an eye set on the glory above!  I wish it were just that easy, To be just who He wants me to be... Faith is believing in what isn't seen, this is the key to who I'd rather've been.  It's so hard sometimes to know what to do, But with it, Christ, will bring me on through! Hope is something deep down inside, Sometimes something which I'd like hide. It is simply something you want to be true, Sometimes it's something not true about you... I love you so much, you see,  I want to give to you through Charity. Not just with money, so bland. But by reaching out a caring hand!  Love is not what you think, it's a verb. It's how we act on God's mighty word! Through service and joy and softness of heart, it's love that shows me just what is my part!  The last of these points, the hardest of all, Is constantly keeping my eye on the ball. It is in the last stanza, the key t...

From white to red,  From red to white,  The Moon glances down  In the deep of the night. * * * * As I gaze toward the Heavens, And think of the strife, I can’t help but ponder,  The Lord, my Savior’s life! * * * * That despite all His glory,  He came to follow the plan,  And though He was so perfect, He bled for all of man. * * * * And just like the Earth, Blocking light from the Sun, The Noble of Birth Died for everyone. * * * * Now as I ponder The Moon so bright,  Though your sins be scarlet, Your burdens may be light! * * * * I know that I’m His, This life is not mine, He has shown to me His love, In the Moon, in a sign.  * * * * From white to red, From red to white, My Savior can heal me,  In the darkest night.

 Throughout the history of this world mountains have had significance. They have stood as powerful sentinels in the sky for all the generations of man. They are seen as a way to draw near to God. Many people have had their most sacred spiritual experiences on the top of a mountain. I for one believe that God gives us mountains, both of the physical kind as well as the spiritual, to help us become more like him. Meteu's (Met-tay-oo) Journey up The Western Mountain   In the Order of the Arrow ceremonies the Medicine Man, Meteu, calls upon us a challenge; to "strictly keep a pledge of silence" for, "Hours spent in thoughtful silence help us make the right decisions". He had heard the principles and admonitions of the Order "whispered on the western mountains". It was on a mountain that the Order of the Arrow began. It's principles where sent from God, and are very much needed in the world we live in.     Meteu talks of how he journeyed up the...

Osmosis Have you ever heard of Jim Rohn’s “Law of Average?” This Law simply states that you become the average of the five people you spend the most time with. Another similar law is the law of Osmosis. A definition of Osmosis is “the process of gradual or unconscious assimilation of ideas, knowledge, etc.” The common principle that underlies both of these concepts is this; You become like what you surround yourself with. This applies in our social lives as well as in chemistry, but frankly it doesn’t have much to do with my topic. I just needed to start with something. What makes something a Temple? We are incredibly blessed to live in an area which is so full of Temples of the Lord. We have a pretty good idea of what temples are and what they do. But what makes these beautiful pieces of architecture Houses of the Lord? To help us more fully understand what makes a temple a temple, we need to look to scriptural words. When we talk about temples in the scriptures, the first ...