Teens Talk - Damage

The Grand Rapids Times
March 21, 2008

This week I was going to write a follow up article on the ways one can contribute to their community through community service, etc. However, my heart has encouraged me to talk to my readers about another issue, DAMAGE. Damage is an illness that has been in the world for many years and an illness that isn’t leaving any time soon. This year has just begun and already changes have been made that many individuals are displeased with.I am referring to the issue of race specifically when I speak of damage. Damage has been occurring in our communities because everyone believes that they are in a race, everyone wants to become the alpha dog or the head honcho. When I see damage I say, “OH BOY!” don’t we all know that we were all created from the same flesh, don’t we all know that there isn’t any superior race, Oh Boy! we need some damage control. Oh Boy! we need some damage control, because ever since I was a little boy I never knew it to be o.k. to say nigger, hunky, spick, or any other derogative racial term. Now I hear people say these terms around me frequently, have people lost their minds, Oh Boy, we need some damage control. Damage will one day be the down fall of the world if we do not get a hold of the issue now. I have a news flash for all damage creators, I don’t care if you all are White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, or any other race, but change is happening in politics and in the social environments of the United States. Damage creators are just going to have to trust in God’s decisions in choosing a minority presidential leader if that is his final decision. It isn’t our plan, it is always God’s. So many individuals including myself have been disturbed to even see damage within our own peers. Not necessarily damage within the issue of race but damage within the issue of hatred. Why teens are we always hating on each other? If someone has something that you admire, that doesn’t give you the right to hate them or hate on them for owning what they have. Oh Boy! we need some damage control, if someone has an attractive significant other don’t hate, go find you one, Oh Boy! we need some damage control. Just because someone owns magnificent materialistic items doesn’t mean that they have it all together on the inside. Just because someone has all of the riches, education, and power in the world, without God and the Power of God to protect him and guide him through this sometimes cruel world, he has nothing. Oh Boy! we need some damage control. I pray to God to send down some damage control. Deuteronomy 32:5 “They have acted corruptly toward him; to their shame they are no longer his children, but a warped and crooked generation.”A corrupted generation is just what we are creating when we forget about God’s plans for ourselves in order to create damage. Oh Boy! some of us need damage control when we hate others for having higher education when all we have to do is go out and obtain the same knowledge. As long as we allow damage to take control of our lives we will continue to distance ourselves from God. On a clearer note if we as teens, keep hating and not empowering each other in true brotherhood and sisterhood we will not be able to lift each other up as I see the generations before us have. We will need each other someday. I am taking observations from three wonderful organizations that I am glad to have learned from The Delta Sigma Theta Sorority of Grand Rapids, Our Kitchen Table, and Martha Chapter No.1 of the Order of the Eastern Star. These organizations are active in our community and are actively enriching each other in love and grace as they work together with teens in Grand Rapids. May the Grace of God be with you ladies and thank you for your dedication to the youth, we appreciate it; you have forever changed my life. I’m going to leave you all with this: Psalm 53:3 “Everyone has turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.” Not all of us are right with the Lord and damage is not helping that situation or encouraging any of us to walk in Gods footsteps.

Teens Talk - What Have You Done?

What have you done for your community is the question? Well, personally I can say that I have done a lot for my community but is that really true? What my community has done for me is what matters. Since I like to be real with my readers, I’m going to tell you the negative and the positive things that my community has done for me. Others may call my community a ghetto, but I call it home. Home is where I was transformed from a little boy into a Christian man that walks with God. I want to applaud my community for its support, the inner city of Grand Rapids. Home is where I was introduced to the gang life, which has encouraged me through consequences, that I faced to begin my walk with God. Because of my community I learned immediately that the gang life wasn’t for me. I applaud my community for helping me take control of the decisions that I made in life. I’m not going anywhere. I love my home. Some people do not realize that God places us in our surroundings for a reason. Everyone is on different levels with their relationships with God. Some individuals like myself need to be placed in ruff environments in order to see that a relationship with God is very important. Some people need to see, including myself, that all people learn differently. You can tell certain people not to do things and they won’t do it, but there are other people who have to learn the hard way and find out for themselves. Growing up I was an individual that had to learn the hard way. Joshua 22:18 “Are you now turning away from the LORD? If you rebel against the LORD today, tomorrow he will be angry with the whole community.” God did not just put me in my surroundings for me to learn. He put me in my community so that I can teach others the same thing that he has taught me. Remember you might not like your homes, but know that God has reason for you to be living where you are. Don’t be quick to judge your communities. Try and take the time out and applaud them. I’m going to leave you all with these words of wisdom, “You can go very far in life but never forget where you came from.”

Teen's Talk - Wash It Out

Back in the day when I was a young child, there wasn’t any timeouts or endless hours of my parents pleading with me to behave, There were only two effective punishments; the good old fashion belt on your backside and the unforgettable washing the mouth out with soap. Every time I used profanity, my mother and father wouldn’t hesitate to cleanse my mouth with soap. Boy times have changed, the other day I discovered that people don’t even need a reason to swear anymore, they just do it! During the last two weeks I conducted a study of swearing at school, in my community, and even at church events. I listened as swear words were dropped by the second. (Leviticus 24: 13-16) 13 ‘Then the LORD said to Moses: 14 "Take the blasphemer outside the camp. All those who heard him are to lay their hands on his head, and the entire assembly is to stone him. 15 “Say to the Israelites: 'If anyone curses his God, he will be held responsible;” 16 “Anyone who blasphemes the name of the LORD must be put to death. The entire assembly must stone him. Whether an alien or native-born, when he blasphemes the Name, he must be put to death.”Yes, I am guilty, two swear words came from my mouth this week. The problem is that nobody chooses to wash it out anymore; I know not to swear in front of my parents now. Adults aren’t even trying to set examples for the children, they are swearing constantly. Teens are finding it hard to relate to adults that are teaching us not to swear in church and in school but as soon as they are with that same adult, outside of the mentoring program on the basketball court or at a game, that adult is swearing. Adults, please remember that teens are just like babies they mimic the behavior and language that they hear and see, teens are inspiring to be their mentors someday. We are constantly watching and listening even when you think that the mentoring is over. How are we going to tell younger people to wash it out when we can’t wash it out ourselves? I know we are too old to wash it out with the old fashion punishment of the bar soap in our mouths but we still have to hold ourselves accountable and find alternative ways to wash it out. Please join me in asking for God’s help in deliverance of profanity. Pray that God will deliver you from this sin and annoying habit, and he will. We are quick to brand the word of God on people when they are in the wrong but when we do wrong it seems like we become clueless to the messages we are trying to instill in others. So before we tell others to wash it out we must wash it out ourselves.Q. Do you think swearing is allowed in any settings when you are mad? “Well, to me swearing is sort of a reflex. There are people who just have to swear. Personally, I don’t swear when I get mad, but I’m not going to lie, I have yelled out a few words in Spanish and sometimes in English. So, I guess it shouldn’t be allowed because it’s rude and they aren’t nice words.” Ariel Israel Sosa — Kelloggsville High School
“Most of the times people reach a point that leads them to swearing when they get mad. When I get mad sometimes I say a swear word but that barely happen. Sometimes it’s difficult for some people to not swear at all, but for me I can control it.”Henok Melaku — Kelloggsville High School
We have to wash it out when we are choosing to expose young children to words that shouldn’t be in their vocabulary. We have to wash it out when we feel comfortable recording records that has nothing but derogatory terms and vulgar language incorporated in them. We have to wash it out when we feel comfortable walking down the street and feel it is o.k. to yell out swear words.
Q. Why do you swear? “It is a bad habit that I only picked up after I married your dad. I never swore when I was young, my parents didn’t allow it. Your dad swears and I picked up some of those awful words from him. I pray that God will deliver me from profanity and he has. I have been improving, I have only had to pay for three bad words in the last six months and I put that payment into my offering at church.”
Q. What other steps have you taken in your personal journey to end profanity in your life? “I am a Christian first. I am trying to only promote Christian businesses and it takes a lot of dedication. I won’t give my business to a business that has profanity music playing or open profanity conversations. It is hard to find a nice place to take my sons or daughters, even to get their hair done because of the language, music, or videos that the establishments portrays. ” Oscatte Hendler
I’m going to share with you all, if there is a little dirt somewhere it must be cleaned because if you let dirt go it will spread out of control. Dirt is like our mouths, when there is nothing but profanity in them we must “Wash It Out”. Blog me. Let me know if you are ready to make the commitment to “Wash it Out” as my mother did. It is difficult, and she still struggles sometimes; but she said that she had a habit and gave it over to God. Can you do the same? BLOG me, and let’s talk about it.