Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Legacy

My first few years in college I was befriended by multiple great upperclassmen. They were imperfect but Godly guys who had their heads on straight. That's something that can hardly be assumed of anyone on campus here at Mizzou.

Some of my best friends are these older, wiser guys. They seriously impacted my path and taught me so much implicitly and explicitly throughout our time together.

I'm now the senior getting ready to move on in life to the "real world". Sometimes I had this thought that pouring into younger guys wasn't totally necessary if I got involved in other good activities.

But then it occurred to me, "If I don't pour into the freshman and sophomores, who will be the older guy in their life that they can look to and say 'he guided me into becoming a Godly man'?"

So now I see pouring into young guys as an obligation. Engaging in discipleship is Jesus' final command to us before he rose into heaven. We shouldn't take this role lightly, but rather we must remember to pass on the wisdom that was previously passed to us.

Don't break the chain.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Overreaction to Mr. President

President Obama made his speech to schoolchildren today. The speech has been the center of controversy for a week now as many conservatives think he's getting political with children. Some parents don't like his message or just don't think he should be addressing their children.

A curious fact is that all of the hubub began before anyone even knew what he was going to say to the children.

You can see the text of the speech here.

I can honestly say that this is a solid message that children do need to hear. The one gripe I have with his message is when he says that children are "quitting on their country" or owe it to their country. That's flat out wrong. Kids work hard so they can become independent and provide for themselves, their family, and their friends. Children don't owe anything to America. Their country is here for them, not the other way around.

President Obama is a great communicator as Ronald Reagan was in the 80s. While I disagree with his message much of the time, his ability to inspire and spark hope in some minds is a blessing during such a time of economic woes.