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Saturday, October 17, 2009

I am impressed with teenagers of today!

Older folk are often so full of criticism and pick the negative rather than the positive regarding our upcoming generation. But how often do older folk try and look at life from a young persons perspective?

Firstly, there is a huge inheritance that needs to be taken into account.

From the perspective of our young minds, the world has been truly raped, disfigured and left in a bad state. Now they have to come in and pick up the debts, clean up the environment, pacify angry nations, negotiate peace, and nobody seems to think the young people even think about these things (they are certainly not credited with taking it seriously).

Folk, young people do think and worry about all of this! Older generations didn't have this mess to clean up. "We had the World War" the older generation says. Well maybe so, and the young people didn't have that war. But after the war it was not left to young people to fix the problems, everyone was in on it. There was a clear idea of what had to be done to get things back to normal. Today, nobody really wants to acknowledge they have to fix the problems, and nobody has any clear idea of how to do it!

Secondly, I often hear young people don't respect their elders. Well maybe they have a point! Have you provided single family homes for them where there is a loving positive relationship? Do you model family values like having family meals together, do you respect them enough to be at home to ensure they have someone to arrive home to when they get back from school? How many of these things should be the norm and aren’t? Do you take them to events that will build THEM up even though it takes you out of your way? Do you do this for THEM or to fulfull YOUR dreams? Be sure that it's actually for them!

Do you blame them for being disrespectful? I don't, I am continually amazed that they rise above all this and are often healthy well developed individuals that are an asset to our society.

Sure, drugs, alcohol and sex are more prevalent. But then, who's to blame? They didn't start that revolution did they? The 60's was not their era? It's adults that push the drugs into the country! Adults that make money from “adult” movies they know teens watch. Adults relaxed what is considered permissible on TV, not young people. Often adults who drink too much in front of their own or others kids!

Then what about teeneage sex? If your birth mom or dad are on their second or third marriage, I guess they can’t comment too much on how to deal with relationships successfully either? Why should their teens listen to THEIR advice on sex and relationships? Do you go to church and take your kids with you? Schools MAY NOT teach moral values in case they influence your child. How do you keep them from Hell in their lives? By ignoring God?

I think our youth are doing very well, considering!

Last night I was so proud of six teens that went out into our rural town and collected six baskets of food for our local food bank. They knocked on doors and asked for cans of food. Not everyone was polite, not everyone even wanted to open the door. (Would you open the door to three teens at night?) Thank-you to those that made it possible for our young people to make a difference!

Just so that you know, today they are volunteering their time at the food bank to make a difference. They wanted to do this! No adult pushed them to do this. It was their choice! We just opened doors. Let’s keep doing that!

When last did you as an older person take time to do a similar type of activity?

Maybe we can learn something from our youth? Facing life’s tremendous challenges with love and selflessness is the only truly POSITIVE way to deal with overwhelmingly vast adversity and stress. I pray that I can learn this from our younger generation and that the rest of the older generations would give our younger generation a true chance!

They are the future after all!

That’s A FACT!

Sat, October 17, 2009 | link Comments

Friday, October 16, 2009

1st chapter of a "new" KenXBriggs novel. . . what do you think?

Today I'm giving you a sample chapter from my next novel. Please give me some comments on what you think, so that I know it's worth writing the book for audiences like yourself. . .

CHAPTER ONE

Running down the half lit street of the city, Kiara flung herself around the corner into the alcove of the hotel side entrance. Frantically grabbing at the door she found it was locked. Panic stricken she made as if to run again before something changed and she stopped, still for a second.

The light from the cold moonlit street reflected on the rise and fall of her breasts revealed by the low cut of her black evening dress. She was a petite slim figure about five feet tall with curves that would have graced any model if she were taller. Her shoes dropped with a quiet thump into the snow near her bare feet as she released them. She opened her purse, fumbling to bring out a small nail file less than three inches long. A look of focused determination fleeted across her face, and her blue-grey eyes glinted as she appraised its usefulness.

“O Lord, I need help now!” she murmured under her breath. She pressed her body tightly against the wall of the alcove closest to the side from which she had arrived.

Steam from her breath rose in small expanding clouds as she struggled to stop gasping out loud. She controlled her breathing in an incredibly short time. Soon the only sounds on the street were the distant city sounds of cars, a haughting foghorn in the distance, and the wail of a cat serenading the night with it’s song. She grasped the nail file as if it were a dagger and pressed herself against the wall, listening!

There was no change in the evening sounds. Slowly her tension subsided and she relaxed slightly. She used the nail file to flick hair that had fallen across her face to behind her ears. She hoisted up the one side of her dress that had slipped down with her activities. The shoulder strap on that side of the dress was ripped, hanging down. She tore it off and dropped it into the snow. The moonlight revealed two red scratches on her shoulder and an angry bruise on the upper part of her arm.

Bending over, she picked up her high-heeled shoes and held them, preferring the freezing cold on her feet to the potential inability to flee again.

From inside the hotel she could vaguely hear the distant sound of rock music seeping out into the street, the thumping more prevalent than the melody.

Still she waited, hardly moving.

When the sound came, she stiffened. The quiet crunch of footsteps on newly fallen snow could be heard. Someone was trying to walk very quietly on the snow, but true to its perverse nature it squeaked with each step. She looked down realizing her mistake. There were many footsteps covering the sidewalk, but one set of bare footprints, turned into the alcove. The indentations caused by her feet pointing clearly to her hiding place. She raised her eyes heavenwards in wild supplication and frustration. It would take an idiot not to see where she had gone! Her pursuer was no idiot!

She prayed he would assume the door to be open with her inside. Maybe she would have a slim chance to get away again! Another desperate prayer ascended silently to the heavens.

The footsteps crunched closer without slowing pace, or the tread changing. Something about her situation seemed to give her strength. Her face filled with a strange peace. Again tension filled her body with feline preparedness. She waited.

Onwards the footsteps came, and suddenly a silhouette framed by the streetlight fell into the alcove as the person turned into the dark doorway.

She exploded into angry pent up action and then was off running down the street again. She had lashed out twice with the nail file! Good fortune for which she had prayed caused her first blow to stab his left eyeball! A second sliced his ear! His scream of pain and anger filled the night, echoing off the dark buildings as she ran, and ran, and ran.

Fri, October 16, 2009 | link Comments

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

"Unwholesome" talk????

Paul also says “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

We don’t use that word “unwholesome” much anymore. Unwholesome means damaging to physical, mental or moral health. Wow! What a challenge! We should not say anything that would damage any aspect of another person. Instead Paul advises us to speak in a way that helps them to grow in physical, mental and moral health. He adds to this saying he wants us to do this in such a way as to take their needs into account.

Communication experts tell us a number of things happen when we communicate. We do things like put together ideas based on our own context, use mechanisms like speech to communicate (sometime we use computers, video or PowerPoint’s as well), the communication goes through a channel (maybe the telephone line, Podcast, ect.), it gets received (by the persons ear, eyes, etc.), and it is interpreted in terms of their own perspectives (and not necessarily ours). What Paul is saying is that if we are be good communicators, we should start to try to understand the needs of those we are talking too, before we talk to them. We should make sure we understand their situation and when we talk to them, we need to keep this in mind. That way we try to keep their thoughts and ours as aligned as possible, making sure what we say will be correctly understood when they apply their own understanding to our words.

While this is excellent advice, it’s often screwed up by falling into the trap of speaking from our own situation and failing to understand the concerns and pains of the people that we are talking to. Paul also suggests that by addressing the person who we are talking to properly, we are also correctly addressing others that listen in to our conversation.

So, if we want people to think well of our discussions, we must be sure to have a viewpoint that takes others into account. It sounds like common sense, but it is very biblical as well!

So next time you find you are not “getting through” to someone, do a check. Ask yourself the following;

	What is the person’s needs and their probable viewpoint regarding the subject I want to discuss?
	What is my true attitude, and is it positive towards the person? (If it isn’t, what can I change to make it positive, what do I need to do before I speak?)
	Will I be using words that will build up the other person(s)
	Will my words build and maintain relationships with the listener and the other audience listening?
	How can I communicate all this as clearly as possible? What is the best medium? Which is the best environment? What company would help convey the true value of what I am saying?
	Will others that hear be glad to hear what is said, and will it build them up as well?

If you take these into account, you are using Christian principles of communication!

Wed, October 14, 2009 | link Comments

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Flu and good plans. . .

Today I have flu, a nasty hacking cough type of flu where my brain seems to slide into a slushy pulp. My fiery red eyes show what my throat feels like. Turmoil churns at my stomach and listening to others is dulled as if through cotton wool. Rather similar to a bad quality long distance call. Life seems somewhat distorted!

This said, todays verse is "“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”- Jeremiah 29:11 "

At first glance this is not what I want to believe or hear(for today at any rate). Right now life is feeling tough and I don't feel prospered!

I guess most of us feel this way sometimes. Life has its problems and not every day is one where our health and happiness seems to be right on top. That said, I have a deep seated knowledge of God being there for me and that this is only a hiccup in the long term plan.

Reflecting back I remember the days when I used to get migraine headaches. I prayed for relief and the God graciously took them away. My darling wife however has migraines almost every day of her life. That despite prayer from myself and hundreds of others. Her's have never been taken away.

I had that incurable disease "Coeliac disease", then with some oil pouring on my head, and the elders of the church coming around to pray for me, I started on healing. (by the way, I didn't believe God healed when that happened and only grudgingly accepted this because they could show me the text in the bible saying they should do it. I was totally ungrateful!) Today God has healed me completely of that incurable disease and I now believe in God's healing for today. God used that occurence to change my attitude towards illness. I must say however that I have friends with Coeliac that have not been healed in this way.

So, does God heal us or not? My experience is that he does, but not based on our wishes and demands. Illness is a way of changing the direction of our lives and slowing us down enough to think about what we are doing. It get's us to decide what's most important and discard the rest. Our prayer for healing is good and expected by our lord, but he wants us to know that we need to love him enough to trust him when things don't seem right.

Today I see my condition as an opportunity to evaluate my daily activities and decide which I should re-prioritise or cancel. I see it as an opportunity to allow God to help me learn to have the right attitude to others, despite unpleasent circumstances. I pray for a quick healing and that I will learn whatever lesson God wants me to learn quickly!

Mostly I am thankful for loving friends, opportunity to work from home, and knowledge that God has good things planned for me!

Hope you have a joy fulled day! I will try and do the same!

Tue, October 13, 2009 | link Comments

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Rift in Evil
By Ken X Briggs
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