I preface this by saying that I am a Christian. I do not feel the need to share my beliefs....
The problem is not God in schools. I have seen hundreds of Facebook messages this past week explaining how much better our society would be if God was allowed back into school....
News Flash....
God is in schools......God is omnipresent...He is everywhere at all times....He is in our schools constantly and this tragedy still happened. There are many countries that have no religious affiliation, yet they do not have these types of tragedies. America leads the world in school shootings...as of last count (since columbine) it was America 31---rest of the world 14, yet we blame God?
So if God is in our schools (because God is omnipresent), why do we use this excuse as a scapegoat?
Maybe it's because we are afraid to look at ourselves.....
Americans are the problem...
We blame God not being in schools, but He is not in the homes either...
Is is the school systems job to teach morality, discipline, patience, kindness and love? The answer is NO! But there are many families that feel that it is.....
We have lost our morality...We have become self centered, we do not invest in our children, we do not teach them the value of life, we let others raise our kids and then punish them for not meeting our standards, we do not take blame for their shortcomings because it will expose ours as parents......
So what is the problem?
The American dream is the problem.....
We do not believe it in anymore....Our parents wanted us to have a better life than they had, their parents felt the same and so on....Now we have grown to EXPECT the American dream. We are a spoiled society and when we do not get our way, we act out in various ways.
We have forgotten about the hard work that many sacrificed in order for us to have a better life, we have become un-american. We do not have pride in the flag any more and consequently do not have pride in our future as a nation.... We care only about ourselves and not our neighbor
We are an instant gratification society, and when that gratification is not met instantly, we demand it. Just this week in my home town, there was a murder over a playstation as an example....
We are fragile.....
Our ability to handle hardships is gone....I'm broke.....I'll go get a loan instead of selling my car.....I am poor....I'll rely on the Government instead of getting an education or finding a job.....I'm unattractive....Your parents failed you by not teaching you self-confidence.....I'm not smart....I'll cheat my way through instead of spending the time to learn....I was told NO.....I'll quit and let someone else figure it out.....
The media and freedom of speech is our problem.....
I always turn to the sports page first while reading the paper, it is the only place that discusses peoples accomplishments....This is fading now as well....
There is limited positivity in the media....They know what sells and the exploit is well......Can you imagine the impact it would have on a persons life, if all they saw on the news was the accomplishments of others???? It is difficult to turn on the television, open a newspaper or log on without being exposed to negativity....We have forgotten how to dream....
Freedom of speech is stupid....I say something that offends you, you sue me....This goes back to our thin skin....There are times when you must call a spade a spade and it is almost impossible to do it....A quick story I heard the other day, young man wanted to speak to city council, as he approached the council, the Mayor asked him to take his hat off....Did the kid do it? No! The Mayor was accused of being racist because the kid was Hispanic....We have lost the standards that once defined us.....
We are not the America that we were founded on, we are a completely different and screwed up version of it. The only thing that connects us to the America we learned about is that we use it as a fall back when things do not go our way...."you can't do that to me, I have freedom of speech!"
I'll end my saying this.....Why do we focus on issues such as gun control, God in school ect... and not focus on the solution? I believe it's because the solution will offend people.....and in America we cannot do that.....
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Monday, October 29, 2012
Adversity
Everything I have learned about adversity, I learned between Elam Road and Horseshoe Trail in the South Dallas Neighborhood of Balch Springs, Texas. Education was never an important to my family. My biological father was a drug addict who spent more time in prison than out. My mother who gave it her all has had issues I would rather not discuss. My step father took us from a small town into a community that was very diverse....It was this community that taught me about life and about education...
Balch Springs is not Mayberry. I remember hearing about a murder down the street near the grocery store when I was in 7th grade. The kid who committed the murder was a 6th grader trying to prove his toughness to a local gang. This was the beginning but not the end of the education I would be taught while growing up in Balch Springs....
My Step Father was raised on these streets and felt that a street education was more important than any kind of education I would ever receive from a public institution....We learned to hustle, we learned to fight, to create divides because of the color of our skin, to form friendships based on protection rather than love....But there was always something more...
I had a desire....For some reason deep inside my soul, I felt that the way out of Balch Springs, Texas was with an education...I had witnessed what the street education would do to my life through the actions of my brothers and sisters, friends and enemies and truly believed that it was my way out....
The problems is I did not know how to do it....It was easy to get away with doing the bare minimum and relying on my street knowledge to get me through....and it worked for a long time.....
I graduated High School with a 2.1 GPA, scored just high enough on my ACT to accept a football scholarship and got to college not having a clue of how to study or prepare for life beyond athletics...
Life throws you curves. After 2 ACL surgeries and the realization that I was not as good as an athlete as I thought I was, my college career ended....Like a puff of smoke, my dreams of an education were gone.....and i had no clue where to turn....
Fast forward to this week....I have now finished not only my undergraduate degree but also my Masters degree.....and I can thank the streets of Balch Springs Texas for teaching me how to overcome...
What does this mean? No matter who you are, or where you are from, how you are raised or who your influences are.....you can do anything you want to in life as long as you put your mind to it......and overcome
Balch Springs is not Mayberry. I remember hearing about a murder down the street near the grocery store when I was in 7th grade. The kid who committed the murder was a 6th grader trying to prove his toughness to a local gang. This was the beginning but not the end of the education I would be taught while growing up in Balch Springs....
My Step Father was raised on these streets and felt that a street education was more important than any kind of education I would ever receive from a public institution....We learned to hustle, we learned to fight, to create divides because of the color of our skin, to form friendships based on protection rather than love....But there was always something more...
I had a desire....For some reason deep inside my soul, I felt that the way out of Balch Springs, Texas was with an education...I had witnessed what the street education would do to my life through the actions of my brothers and sisters, friends and enemies and truly believed that it was my way out....
The problems is I did not know how to do it....It was easy to get away with doing the bare minimum and relying on my street knowledge to get me through....and it worked for a long time.....
I graduated High School with a 2.1 GPA, scored just high enough on my ACT to accept a football scholarship and got to college not having a clue of how to study or prepare for life beyond athletics...
Life throws you curves. After 2 ACL surgeries and the realization that I was not as good as an athlete as I thought I was, my college career ended....Like a puff of smoke, my dreams of an education were gone.....and i had no clue where to turn....
Fast forward to this week....I have now finished not only my undergraduate degree but also my Masters degree.....and I can thank the streets of Balch Springs Texas for teaching me how to overcome...
What does this mean? No matter who you are, or where you are from, how you are raised or who your influences are.....you can do anything you want to in life as long as you put your mind to it......and overcome
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Measure of a parent
Every parent has standards for their children...We desire to see our kids make progressive steps towards adulthood, towards life changing events. Some parents standards are High School graduation, some may be college...I am sure that every parent has multiple accomplishments that they desire to see their kids achieve.
I am not sure what standards my parents had for me. They did not introduce me to church, they did not explain the importance of school or how you treat people will impact you for years....They taught that life was hard, that street smarts were a must and that when times got tough, you could lie, cheat or steal your way to a better life. I was taught that substance abuse could help take the pain away, that if you were meaner than others you could get what you want....i am not sure what goals and ambitions my parents had for me...... I do know how proud my mother was when I graduated from High School and from College...She was proud when I decided to serve my country...I just wonder what couple of things she truly wanted to see me accomplish....
It is my fear that I am not a good father....I struggle daily with skeletons that are deep in my closet...I am afraid that my daughters will see through me, into the darkness that lies beneath...I am afraid that my weaknesses will impact my daughters futures....but I have goals for them....
Tonight one of those goals were met....a reassurance that I am doing a good job as a parent....
I am a Christian! I may not always act like it or speak like it, but my heart is full and without the Lord coming into my life in 1987, I have no doubt that I would have become like so many in my family....
One of my goals for my kids is to find God....To desire Him and for them to make their own personal choice in accepting him....I did not want to force it upon them...I did not want to make the decision for them like so many people do....I wanted it to be their choice....
Tonight my 9 year old came into our living room crying....We asked what was wrong and she stated that she was ready to ask Jesus into her heart....My 9 year old was crying because she felt it was an emotional decision and that she was ready....We asked her why she was ready and she convinced us that she truly was responsible for the decision....
So on July 28, 2012 Karis Mehkya Rhodes asked the Lord into her heart...
My first major goal for my kid was accomplished tonight and it gave this man a reassurance that despite my weaknesses I am doing a good job as a father.....
I am not sure what standards my parents had for me. They did not introduce me to church, they did not explain the importance of school or how you treat people will impact you for years....They taught that life was hard, that street smarts were a must and that when times got tough, you could lie, cheat or steal your way to a better life. I was taught that substance abuse could help take the pain away, that if you were meaner than others you could get what you want....i am not sure what goals and ambitions my parents had for me...... I do know how proud my mother was when I graduated from High School and from College...She was proud when I decided to serve my country...I just wonder what couple of things she truly wanted to see me accomplish....
It is my fear that I am not a good father....I struggle daily with skeletons that are deep in my closet...I am afraid that my daughters will see through me, into the darkness that lies beneath...I am afraid that my weaknesses will impact my daughters futures....but I have goals for them....
Tonight one of those goals were met....a reassurance that I am doing a good job as a parent....
I am a Christian! I may not always act like it or speak like it, but my heart is full and without the Lord coming into my life in 1987, I have no doubt that I would have become like so many in my family....
One of my goals for my kids is to find God....To desire Him and for them to make their own personal choice in accepting him....I did not want to force it upon them...I did not want to make the decision for them like so many people do....I wanted it to be their choice....
Tonight my 9 year old came into our living room crying....We asked what was wrong and she stated that she was ready to ask Jesus into her heart....My 9 year old was crying because she felt it was an emotional decision and that she was ready....We asked her why she was ready and she convinced us that she truly was responsible for the decision....
So on July 28, 2012 Karis Mehkya Rhodes asked the Lord into her heart...
My first major goal for my kid was accomplished tonight and it gave this man a reassurance that despite my weaknesses I am doing a good job as a father.....
Monday, February 20, 2012
There is a lesson in humble pie
I know that I am not the greatest ping pong player in the world. I may try and talk a good game, but deep down I understand that I have limited skills. That doesn't prevent me from talking trash......
I was humbled today....
Just last week I talked about my ability to turn on my switch again. I had the chance today when we invited Pittsburgh Steelers running back Baron Batch to the fire house for a "friendly" game of ping pong. My invitation set the tone "come play pong with us, we will feed you, but you better bring your "A" game......
Well he did.....
I was humbled today....
If you know much about athletics you would understand that it takes a special type of person to make it to the top.....Now I have never met Mr. Batch and had no clue as to his abilities as a ping pong player...I figured at most, he would come in, win some, lose some and we would have a good time playing....
He is a ringer....Bringing his own "magical" paddle...he humbly served all members of station 4 b shift slices of humble pie......We did not win a single game....and as frustrating as it was to lose (I still have my switch) there was a lesson to be learned....I am assuming that Mr. Batch was not born with a pong paddle in his hands....That it took practice for him to be able to beat the master pong players at the fire house (ok so maybe not masters)....That something drove him to be better than average...So the lesson I was reminded of is this....
I have a promtional exam coming up that could help me get to where I intend on being. If I don't put in the work to do great, I will not....
I have a wife and two beautiful girls that I should not neglect and should work harder in order to be the father and husband they deserve.....
I have a loving God that sacrificed everything, asking little of me and I have neglected that relationship....I should desire to put in the work in order to grow closer to Him, in order to show Him my gratitude.....
I was humbled today and it taught me a lesson....if I am going to walk the walk, if I am going to truly squeeze everything this life has to offer, I need to get to work...because words will not carry you when the ball is bouncing across the table and you are playing against the game of life.....
I was humbled today....
Just last week I talked about my ability to turn on my switch again. I had the chance today when we invited Pittsburgh Steelers running back Baron Batch to the fire house for a "friendly" game of ping pong. My invitation set the tone "come play pong with us, we will feed you, but you better bring your "A" game......
Well he did.....
I was humbled today....
If you know much about athletics you would understand that it takes a special type of person to make it to the top.....Now I have never met Mr. Batch and had no clue as to his abilities as a ping pong player...I figured at most, he would come in, win some, lose some and we would have a good time playing....
He is a ringer....Bringing his own "magical" paddle...he humbly served all members of station 4 b shift slices of humble pie......We did not win a single game....and as frustrating as it was to lose (I still have my switch) there was a lesson to be learned....I am assuming that Mr. Batch was not born with a pong paddle in his hands....That it took practice for him to be able to beat the master pong players at the fire house (ok so maybe not masters)....That something drove him to be better than average...So the lesson I was reminded of is this....
I have a promtional exam coming up that could help me get to where I intend on being. If I don't put in the work to do great, I will not....
I have a wife and two beautiful girls that I should not neglect and should work harder in order to be the father and husband they deserve.....
I have a loving God that sacrificed everything, asking little of me and I have neglected that relationship....I should desire to put in the work in order to grow closer to Him, in order to show Him my gratitude.....
I was humbled today and it taught me a lesson....if I am going to walk the walk, if I am going to truly squeeze everything this life has to offer, I need to get to work...because words will not carry you when the ball is bouncing across the table and you are playing against the game of life.....
Humility
I try to learn something about myself.....about life, every day....
Today was a new lesson..
This has been on my mind for a couple of months now and I have been searhing for an answer that was right in front of me. An answer that I have known for a long time.
I have been investing tons of hours studying for this promotional exam. I am caught up in it. It would be safe to say that I have become obssed with perfection on this test and I am putting in all the time and effort in order to put my best foot forward on test day...
The thing that has been on my mind lately is "why haven't you invested the same amount of time with your family and your walk with God?" I will be honest, it has been a troubling few weeks pondering this question.
The way I see it my priorities are out of whack. I can see myself walking into the test and doing well because I was prepared. How much greater would my walk be if I prepared the same way during my time with God? How much better would my marriage be if I invested the same amount of time with my wife? How much greater of a father would I be if I spent the same amount of time with my kids?
Time to get my priorities in check!
Today was a new lesson..
This has been on my mind for a couple of months now and I have been searhing for an answer that was right in front of me. An answer that I have known for a long time.
I have been investing tons of hours studying for this promotional exam. I am caught up in it. It would be safe to say that I have become obssed with perfection on this test and I am putting in all the time and effort in order to put my best foot forward on test day...
The thing that has been on my mind lately is "why haven't you invested the same amount of time with your family and your walk with God?" I will be honest, it has been a troubling few weeks pondering this question.
The way I see it my priorities are out of whack. I can see myself walking into the test and doing well because I was prepared. How much greater would my walk be if I prepared the same way during my time with God? How much better would my marriage be if I invested the same amount of time with my wife? How much greater of a father would I be if I spent the same amount of time with my kids?
Time to get my priorities in check!
Sunday, February 12, 2012
The Switch
I have this switch and it has been off for sometime....I realized today at the gym that I have turned it back on.....
This switch got me through my dad leaving, through seeing him beat my mom.
This switch got me through punishing verbal and physcial abuse from a Step Father who didn't care.
This switch got me into college, the ability to turn it on while on the field, switching from "we can be friends" to "you will never beat me and if you do, you will earn it"
This switch got me through fights...from when the twins showed up with their buddy in my front yard, I closed the door and turned on the switch...when I opened the door it was on. The switch was activated...
This switch got me through the neighborhood. Turning it on made me feel untouchable...you were not going to bully me.
This switch got me through war. Turning it on told me I would do anything to provide for my family and protect their freedom.
This switch got me through two marathons just to say I could do it. Turn the switch on and I will not quit....
It has been off for a while and has taken a lot to turn it back on....
Today I turned it back on for good....
Sitting in the gym with 90lb dumbells and my mind telling me I have no more left, I turn on the switch and finish the set....
Now that the switch is on, it is go time. I have a plan and that plan is to be number 1.....If I fail I will be dissapointed but I will know that I gave it my all and that the switch was on......
You think I can't do it? Watch me! The switch is on and when it is on failure is not an option!
You think i'm not good enough? I have heard that before and look at where I am now...you think that your words won't motivate me? Watch me work when the switch is on.....
100% is not possible? Watch and beware when the switch is on.
This switch got me through my dad leaving, through seeing him beat my mom.
This switch got me through punishing verbal and physcial abuse from a Step Father who didn't care.
This switch got me into college, the ability to turn it on while on the field, switching from "we can be friends" to "you will never beat me and if you do, you will earn it"
This switch got me through fights...from when the twins showed up with their buddy in my front yard, I closed the door and turned on the switch...when I opened the door it was on. The switch was activated...
This switch got me through the neighborhood. Turning it on made me feel untouchable...you were not going to bully me.
This switch got me through war. Turning it on told me I would do anything to provide for my family and protect their freedom.
This switch got me through two marathons just to say I could do it. Turn the switch on and I will not quit....
It has been off for a while and has taken a lot to turn it back on....
Today I turned it back on for good....
Sitting in the gym with 90lb dumbells and my mind telling me I have no more left, I turn on the switch and finish the set....
Now that the switch is on, it is go time. I have a plan and that plan is to be number 1.....If I fail I will be dissapointed but I will know that I gave it my all and that the switch was on......
You think I can't do it? Watch me! The switch is on and when it is on failure is not an option!
You think i'm not good enough? I have heard that before and look at where I am now...you think that your words won't motivate me? Watch me work when the switch is on.....
100% is not possible? Watch and beware when the switch is on.
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