America, I’m cold work with this pen, I’m persistent with the messages that I deliver, there is only one word to describe your boy and that’s sick.
They call me boss because that’s exactly what I am; everybody knows I am if you don’t already know you need to get with the program.
I’m on something different, don’t get mad because honestly it doesn’t matter what you are on, it’s all about me.
Why can’t I have an ego?
There are thousands of other people who are on something different in this world.
Why can’t I be on something different?
If Play Boy Bunny Ashley Harkleroad can auction her virginity off for 3 million dollars on television then why shouldn’t I be able to be on something different?
There are millions who are discriminating against Barack Obama because he is African American.
There are millions who are discriminating against John McCain because of his age.
So what makes it wrong for me to be on something different?
One thing that makes it wrong for me to be on something different is that this world doesn’t revolve around me or you. The world revolves around everyone as a whole.
This week I decided to do something different. I want to take you all on a trip around the world.
Tamar Mesa, “Some things that are difficult for me while I am in America are the reading and writing assignments in college, American style writing is something different to me.” Mesa is an international student at Calvin College from the East Coast of Spain.
Arum-Jugu Galadima, “One thing that is difficult for me while I am in America is managing my time in college; the college life is something different to me.” Galadima is a freshman international student from Jos, Nigeria.
Eden Hagos, “One thing that is difficult for me is dealing with the issue of having too much freedom, making many of my own decisions is something different to me.” Hagos is a freshman at Calvin College from Windsor, Ontario Canada.
There are people all around the world who are on something different facing real life issues. These individuals are on something different by living everyday lives and facing hardships to get where they want to be in life.
They are on something different naturally not by choice, they are not creating their own issues like Obama supporters or McCain supporters.
They are not on television like Playmate Ashley Harkleroad trying to be on something different by selling their virginity. There are people that go through something different and they understand what legitimate issues are.
I can brag all day about being sick with the pen and delivering my messages but then I would be on something different that’s fake because this world is not about me it’s about everyone.
I’m going to leave you all with this; Numbers 23:19 “God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Doers he promise and not fulfill?”
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Friday, October 17, 2008
Teens Talk - Math Doesn't Add Up!
The Grand Rapids Times
10-17-2008
By Marcel Gamble
Back in elementary school, when math didn’t add up right or when a problem was too difficult to find a solution for, my teacher use to take me back to the basics.
Not to insult or mock anyone’s intelligence in math, but I have to take you back because there is an equation that is not adding up correctly.
That equation once was solved that then became a problem and later on became problematic.
Every one remembers the infamous math equation of 1+1=2; if not, then take a mental note because the equation is key in the problem that I am about to discuss.
First, let’s begin with the solution of the number 2; you have a great nation of people that admires God and admires the life that God gives them.
Don’t worry, I am not referring to our nation today because our nation doesn’t resemble this.
All people in this nation are neighbors; they live for community, and they are willing to die for community.
The people in this community create a social welfare system amongst themselves and with God.
These individuals admiration for God expands so much that they decide to get as close as they can to God by building a tower that reached to the heavens.
Their ambitions aren’t to reach the heavens because they want to glorify God; they want to reach the heavens to glorify themselves.
Sometimes, in math you have to retrace your steps in order to check your problem; so I want to backtrack for you all.
The people didn’t want to reach the heavens to glorify God; they wanted to reach the heavens to glorify themselves.
This is where the equation changes significantly. The solution is no longer 2, now; the solution is one.
The divine response from God to this community for their actions was to confuse everyone’s languages within the community so that they could no longer communicate.
The confusing of the languages caused the people to disperse throughout the world, breaking the community apart. This is why the world is divided.
We live in a world that is divided because before we have a social welfare system with God we choose to have a welfare system amongst ourselves first.
We strive to get the solution back to the number 2; but then when we are in trouble ,we go to our best friend instead of God.
We rely on each other to provide the necessities that we need instead of depending on God.
You see, we will never find a solution to our problem because we are not ready to contribute to the equation.
We don’t have healthy communities today because we fail to recreate a social welfare system with God.
We have different communities within the church because the churches compete with each other.
We have so many different communities that exclude others because we are all glorifying ourselves and not God.
This gang hates that gang; this ball player despises that ball player, and this man is more important than that man because he is richer.
The people didn’t want to reach the heavens to glorify God, they wanted to reach the heavens to glorify themselves.
qThis is the picture of the world today; the equation is 2-1=1 because we live in a broken world with a distant relationship with God.
The community that the world had before the tower of Babel is the community that this world needs to transform back into.
The equation needs to be 1+1=2; God and we equal community.
I’m going to leave you all with this: God should come before anything.
Marcel Gamble is a student at Calvin College in Grand Rapids and a 2008 graduate of Kelloggsville High School.
10-17-2008
By Marcel Gamble
Back in elementary school, when math didn’t add up right or when a problem was too difficult to find a solution for, my teacher use to take me back to the basics.
Not to insult or mock anyone’s intelligence in math, but I have to take you back because there is an equation that is not adding up correctly.
That equation once was solved that then became a problem and later on became problematic.
Every one remembers the infamous math equation of 1+1=2; if not, then take a mental note because the equation is key in the problem that I am about to discuss.
First, let’s begin with the solution of the number 2; you have a great nation of people that admires God and admires the life that God gives them.
Don’t worry, I am not referring to our nation today because our nation doesn’t resemble this.
All people in this nation are neighbors; they live for community, and they are willing to die for community.
The people in this community create a social welfare system amongst themselves and with God.
These individuals admiration for God expands so much that they decide to get as close as they can to God by building a tower that reached to the heavens.
Their ambitions aren’t to reach the heavens because they want to glorify God; they want to reach the heavens to glorify themselves.
Sometimes, in math you have to retrace your steps in order to check your problem; so I want to backtrack for you all.
The people didn’t want to reach the heavens to glorify God; they wanted to reach the heavens to glorify themselves.
This is where the equation changes significantly. The solution is no longer 2, now; the solution is one.
The divine response from God to this community for their actions was to confuse everyone’s languages within the community so that they could no longer communicate.
The confusing of the languages caused the people to disperse throughout the world, breaking the community apart. This is why the world is divided.
We live in a world that is divided because before we have a social welfare system with God we choose to have a welfare system amongst ourselves first.
We strive to get the solution back to the number 2; but then when we are in trouble ,we go to our best friend instead of God.
We rely on each other to provide the necessities that we need instead of depending on God.
You see, we will never find a solution to our problem because we are not ready to contribute to the equation.
We don’t have healthy communities today because we fail to recreate a social welfare system with God.
We have different communities within the church because the churches compete with each other.
We have so many different communities that exclude others because we are all glorifying ourselves and not God.
This gang hates that gang; this ball player despises that ball player, and this man is more important than that man because he is richer.
The people didn’t want to reach the heavens to glorify God, they wanted to reach the heavens to glorify themselves.
qThis is the picture of the world today; the equation is 2-1=1 because we live in a broken world with a distant relationship with God.
The community that the world had before the tower of Babel is the community that this world needs to transform back into.
The equation needs to be 1+1=2; God and we equal community.
I’m going to leave you all with this: God should come before anything.
Marcel Gamble is a student at Calvin College in Grand Rapids and a 2008 graduate of Kelloggsville High School.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Teens Talk - Life Behind Lies
The Grand Rapids Times
10-10-2008
By Marcel Gamble
Recently, in one of my classes at school I became furious when the issue of racism was being discussed.
I became angry because from my point of view I believe that racism isn’t a prevalent problem anymore. I have been clueless to the fact that it has been occurring around me everyday.
I’m aware that it does exist; but when it isn’t a problem for me, I seem to forget about it completely.
Like myself, there are so many other individuals out in the world who have learned to accept racism for what it is, that some of us have just been sweeping the issue under the rug.
Well, this time when we clean up, we need to sweep racism out the door because it’s a contagious disease that is spreading rapidly.
I say it’s contagious because racist people don’t even realize that they are being racist anymore.
We joke and say things such as, “You know they black because they cheap,” or “Only white people go and investigate when danger is lurking,” and ”He is Asian so he knows karate.”
It’s ridiculous how the issue of racism has become a playful matter.
We rather sweep the issue under the rug and find other ways to cope with the hate than to come face to face with the monster of racism.
The number one thing that frustrates me is that when racism is discussed it always centers on the colors black and white.
Why?
Unquestionably it is a disease that is worldwide.
Let me tell you what happens to something that continues to be swept under the rug.
What people fail to realize is that things that are swept under the rug eventually build up; they build up so much that they begin to lift up the rug.
Meaning that when you just set something aside and don’t choose to deal with it, whatever it is it will begin to deal with you.
Well, racism is dealing with us so much now that its affecting the younger generations who don’t even know what racism is.
There are four- year- olds who have the idea in their minds that black is bad and white is good.
Stop sweeping this issue under the rug.
It’s a shame when there is a study done on four –year – olds, and they are placed in a room with a white baby doll and a black baby doll.
and are told to choose what doll they believe is the good doll and the bad doll.
It’s heartbreaking to see more than half of these children choose the white doll as the good doll and the black doll as the bad doll.
I don’t blame the four- year olds for their actions. I blame the thousands of people who have allowed such a horrible disease to spread so speedily by sweeping the issue under the rug.
So, if you are a person like me who once was oblivious to the fact that racism still is within close proximity and still exists, you need to stop sweeping racism under the rug and face it face – to - face so that the generation after you doesn’t have to suffer.
We are blind to the fact that this disease is getting so bad that it’s even causing individuals to have hatred against their own race.
If you want to know why so many brothers are killing so many brothers, well, you don’t have to search very hard for your answer.
Think about it if four – year - olds are learning that black is bad how do you think that’s affecting them as adults?
If they learn that black is bad, how will they ever have the ability to love another black individual?
It doesn’t take a physiologist to figure out that racism is killing life around us.
I’m going to leave you all with this; Leviticus 19:18
“ ‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.' "
10-10-2008
By Marcel Gamble
Recently, in one of my classes at school I became furious when the issue of racism was being discussed.
I became angry because from my point of view I believe that racism isn’t a prevalent problem anymore. I have been clueless to the fact that it has been occurring around me everyday.
I’m aware that it does exist; but when it isn’t a problem for me, I seem to forget about it completely.
Like myself, there are so many other individuals out in the world who have learned to accept racism for what it is, that some of us have just been sweeping the issue under the rug.
Well, this time when we clean up, we need to sweep racism out the door because it’s a contagious disease that is spreading rapidly.
I say it’s contagious because racist people don’t even realize that they are being racist anymore.
We joke and say things such as, “You know they black because they cheap,” or “Only white people go and investigate when danger is lurking,” and ”He is Asian so he knows karate.”
It’s ridiculous how the issue of racism has become a playful matter.
We rather sweep the issue under the rug and find other ways to cope with the hate than to come face to face with the monster of racism.
The number one thing that frustrates me is that when racism is discussed it always centers on the colors black and white.
Why?
Unquestionably it is a disease that is worldwide.
Let me tell you what happens to something that continues to be swept under the rug.
What people fail to realize is that things that are swept under the rug eventually build up; they build up so much that they begin to lift up the rug.
Meaning that when you just set something aside and don’t choose to deal with it, whatever it is it will begin to deal with you.
Well, racism is dealing with us so much now that its affecting the younger generations who don’t even know what racism is.
There are four- year- olds who have the idea in their minds that black is bad and white is good.
Stop sweeping this issue under the rug.
It’s a shame when there is a study done on four –year – olds, and they are placed in a room with a white baby doll and a black baby doll.
and are told to choose what doll they believe is the good doll and the bad doll.
It’s heartbreaking to see more than half of these children choose the white doll as the good doll and the black doll as the bad doll.
I don’t blame the four- year olds for their actions. I blame the thousands of people who have allowed such a horrible disease to spread so speedily by sweeping the issue under the rug.
So, if you are a person like me who once was oblivious to the fact that racism still is within close proximity and still exists, you need to stop sweeping racism under the rug and face it face – to - face so that the generation after you doesn’t have to suffer.
We are blind to the fact that this disease is getting so bad that it’s even causing individuals to have hatred against their own race.
If you want to know why so many brothers are killing so many brothers, well, you don’t have to search very hard for your answer.
Think about it if four – year - olds are learning that black is bad how do you think that’s affecting them as adults?
If they learn that black is bad, how will they ever have the ability to love another black individual?
It doesn’t take a physiologist to figure out that racism is killing life around us.
I’m going to leave you all with this; Leviticus 19:18
“ ‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.' "
Friday, October 3, 2008
Teens Talk - Questionable Life
The Grand Rapids Times
10-3-2008
By Marcel Gamble
Tomorrow
Confused and misguided,
Divided unknowingly, we are creating our own exile.
Meanwhile, we are trapped in a world of deceit and denial
Caught up on materialistic things
Keeps us from individualistic dreams.
No one has their own canvas; we are all painting the same scene.
My boy hates you and your boy hates me.
He got the Jewels and I have the green.
We want nice cars to be seen as stars, and one night stands with chicks that are thick and resemble movie stars.
We are reaping mob because money comes first.
We pour out liquor for our boys that are stretched out in the back of a hearse.
It’s a curse; today gets worst-
Teenage boys are not able to see tomorrow.
The hood is grieving; light is leaving.
Darkness falls over the hood.
People flagging with their bandanas out,
And crack heads are always on a mission searching for a handout.
Lord, O Lord, please hold your hand out,
We need to see tomorrow because maybe it will be a better day,
A day when infants will open their eyes and see their gangster fathers joined in unity preparing to pray.
We need to see a day when no one is left astray.
God we need you to pave the way.
Dudes are cracked up and strapped up ready for war
My homies are ambitious but they are not prepared for ……… you
They are persistent in the things that they do but they do not make time for……….. you
God please hold out your hand.
Questionable Lives
Why are we living questionable lives?
God created us all to be beautiful creatures; unfortunately, some of us are acting like we don’t recognize that.
Some of us go and spend millions of dollars on plastic surgery to redefine our unique features.
Others of us buy endless supplies of make up to cover up God’s beautiful creation.
My boys choose to spend thousands of dollars on jewelry and expensive clothing to run from their own identity that God has given to them.
Why are we choosing to live questionable lives?
God, we need your hand.
We need your hand because we are choosing to live questionable lives when we kill others out of jealousy.
If you have to ask yourself if that comment is directed towards you, then you are definitely living a questionable life.
God, we all need your hand; but some of us need it more then others.
We lie, we cheat, we steal, we commit adultery; Lord we need your hand.
Many of us claim that we are thankful for the skin that you put us in, but our actions say different.
If we don’t fit the status of a Hollywood star or a musical artist, then we are dissatisfied.
Get buff, get buff or you are not a man is the illness some of us speak into existence.
“You are too fat to be doing all of that,” is what some of us tell others.
“You are always broke; you need to get your paper up,” is what we tell people who are less fortunate than we are.
God, please hold out your hand; not just one hand, Lord we need both hands.
It’s time for everyone who doubts the life that God has given them to ask themselves why they doubt God’s creations.
We undergo ridiculous changes everyday just to please our peers without realizing that we are upsetting God.
I’m going to leave you all with this; stop questioning God and His actions and begin asking yourself why you can’t be the way you are.
10-3-2008
By Marcel Gamble
Tomorrow
Confused and misguided,
Divided unknowingly, we are creating our own exile.
Meanwhile, we are trapped in a world of deceit and denial
Caught up on materialistic things
Keeps us from individualistic dreams.
No one has their own canvas; we are all painting the same scene.
My boy hates you and your boy hates me.
He got the Jewels and I have the green.
We want nice cars to be seen as stars, and one night stands with chicks that are thick and resemble movie stars.
We are reaping mob because money comes first.
We pour out liquor for our boys that are stretched out in the back of a hearse.
It’s a curse; today gets worst-
Teenage boys are not able to see tomorrow.
The hood is grieving; light is leaving.
Darkness falls over the hood.
People flagging with their bandanas out,
And crack heads are always on a mission searching for a handout.
Lord, O Lord, please hold your hand out,
We need to see tomorrow because maybe it will be a better day,
A day when infants will open their eyes and see their gangster fathers joined in unity preparing to pray.
We need to see a day when no one is left astray.
God we need you to pave the way.
Dudes are cracked up and strapped up ready for war
My homies are ambitious but they are not prepared for ……… you
They are persistent in the things that they do but they do not make time for……….. you
God please hold out your hand.
Questionable Lives
Why are we living questionable lives?
God created us all to be beautiful creatures; unfortunately, some of us are acting like we don’t recognize that.
Some of us go and spend millions of dollars on plastic surgery to redefine our unique features.
Others of us buy endless supplies of make up to cover up God’s beautiful creation.
My boys choose to spend thousands of dollars on jewelry and expensive clothing to run from their own identity that God has given to them.
Why are we choosing to live questionable lives?
God, we need your hand.
We need your hand because we are choosing to live questionable lives when we kill others out of jealousy.
If you have to ask yourself if that comment is directed towards you, then you are definitely living a questionable life.
God, we all need your hand; but some of us need it more then others.
We lie, we cheat, we steal, we commit adultery; Lord we need your hand.
Many of us claim that we are thankful for the skin that you put us in, but our actions say different.
If we don’t fit the status of a Hollywood star or a musical artist, then we are dissatisfied.
Get buff, get buff or you are not a man is the illness some of us speak into existence.
“You are too fat to be doing all of that,” is what some of us tell others.
“You are always broke; you need to get your paper up,” is what we tell people who are less fortunate than we are.
God, please hold out your hand; not just one hand, Lord we need both hands.
It’s time for everyone who doubts the life that God has given them to ask themselves why they doubt God’s creations.
We undergo ridiculous changes everyday just to please our peers without realizing that we are upsetting God.
I’m going to leave you all with this; stop questioning God and His actions and begin asking yourself why you can’t be the way you are.
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