Saturday, October 30, 2010

Prop 21

Proposition 21 is a offer to the Californian people concerning state parks. It is called, "The State Park and Wildlife Conservation Act." Funding for these state parks will come from the pockets of the citizens of California and will be charged to the registration of their vehicles. Proposition 21 will be voted upon this coming Tuesday and we shall see whether our opinions are correct.
After going over Prop 21 several times, I have concluded that I would not vote for it. There are numerous reasons why, however a few resound loudly in the minds of the people of California. In our current economic crisis, eighteen dollars per car, per year is adding up and the people of California simply do not have it. Extra fees and taxes are not going to bring about happiness from the citizens, nor is it truly necessary.
Yet another reason not to vote for Prop 21 is the lack of usage of State Parks. Not many people who do not live within ten minutes of a State Park will never use it. Personally, I have never visited a State Park and never really plan to. The people who spend eighteen dollars per car per year, and never visit the parks, are wasting their money. Last time I checked, most people do not like the sound of their money burning away.
An issue that is ever existent in most propositions these days, is the location of where the money is truly going. Its tough to know exactly what our funds are being used for, as well as how much were paying in the end. The Prop says that the fund will only be used for funding State Parks. However, later it says that some of the extra money may be used elsewhere if needed. Why should there even be extra money? These questions must be answered before the people of California will simply throw their money at something they do not see the end of.
Lastly, my opinion is that Proposition 21 will cause Californians only more grief and economic hardship. Without knowledge of the location of the fees that we're paying, as well as not being able to visit and enjoy the State Parks are a few reasons why Prop 21 should not be supported.

Saturday, October 2, 2010

College Funding

As a graduating senior, college is swiftly approaching. With all the excitement and new opportunities it brings, college is expensive. There is no way around that fact. As a Christian looking to head into the ministry, private colleges are in the forefront of my search which makes my scholarship searching that much more necessary and crucial. No student should have to pay for college out of their own pocket, as well as any parent. Scholarships are out there for all who are willing to put in the work and research and time into finding them.
California Baptist University is at the top of my list for colleges that I wish to attend. They offer multiple scholarships that are applicable to me. The first scholarship that I will apply for is called the Federal Pell Grant. This is a federal program that awards scholarships based on the financial need of the student. Although, the financial need is there for ever student, this may not allow me to gain tons of money. Secondly, I am applying for is the Cal Grant. This grant is based on GPA and academics of the student's high school career. My academics are solid enough to allow me to receive a decent amount of money from the state of California in this grant. I will soon be filling out a FAFSA form to receive this grant.
CBU offers academic and athletic scholarships, as do most colleges. Thus, I will be searching and asking for those opportunities to be given. The Presidential scholarship is awarded to students with a 3.75 cumulative GPA and a 1,100 SAT score. I will be taking the SAT for the second time on November 6 to improve my score in hopes of receiving the Presidential scholarship. Athletic scholarships are also available, which is why I am practicing hard on the golf course to hopefully earn money for golf. I have spoken several times with the golf coach and have had conversations about scholarship money, which may be awarded at a later time.
Also at CBU, there is money available for BAT majors. The BAT program is the Bachelors of Applied Theology program that trains and prepares young men to become pastors. this is my desired field and I will hopefully receive scholarship money in that program. A friend of mine just received 15,000 dollars from the BAT program this year.
With some time still left on my plate, scholarship searching is getting more and more intense. I am still searching for more because of the obvious need for college funding. Nobody needs to wholly pay for college, but the student must work for the money that he may earn scholarships to be able to pay for college.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Dwight D. Eisenhower was one of the greatest men in American history. A true American man who was a real leader at heart, led our great nation to many victories as well as two terms as President. Eisenhower knew that the only way to truly lead, was to first serve. As General commander of the American forces, he showed that his service was widely apparent and this led to his pure leadership. Dwight D. Eisenhower was one of America's greatest leaders.
David Dwight Eisenhower was born on October 14, 1890, in Texas. "He was the third of seven sons born to David Jacob Eisenhower and Ida Elizabeth Stover, of German, English and Swiss ancestry." Dwight was raised under Presbyterian church leadership by his parents. They are described as strict but fair. He attended Abilene High School in Abilene, Kansas, and attended the Naval Academy. Before entering, however, Dwight worked for two years as a night foreman at the Belle Springs Creamery. This he did to support his brother Edgar's education wishes. After these two years, Eisenhower wanted to join the Naval Academy. He passed the entrance exam with flying colors, but was beyond the age eligibility to enter the academy. With great disappointment, Dwight then decided that he would try his luck at the military academy at West Point. He was accepted and graduated at the upper echelon of his class. He graduated in 1915, in, "the class the stars fell on." It was given this name because 59 of the classmates became general officers later in life. As an addition to all of this, Dwight also had an astounding athletic career. As a baseball player, golfer, boxer, and a football player, he was an obvious star. He played football as a running back and linebacker at West Point. He also plyed golf at the prestigioous Augusta National golf club in his later years.
Eisenhower's military career is also quite impressive. his early career he never saw combat. But soon he began to talk with General George S. Patton and became interested in tank warfare. This is what finally led him to the battlefield. His normal rank was the Captain position but he eventually rose to a major. He then served as betallion commander from 1924 until 1927. in 1936, he was promoted to permanent lieutenant colonel after 16 years as a major. He also learned to fly, but was never used as a pilot. Later, Eisenhower joined the forces to assist in World War II. In 1944, he was appointed General of the army. "In this and the previous high commands he held, Eisenhower showed his great talents for leadership and diplomacy. Although he had never seen action himself, he won the respect of front-line commanders. He dealt skillfully with difficult subordinates such as Patton, and allies such as Winston Churchill, Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery and General Charles de Gaulle. He had fundamental disagreements with Churchill and Montgomery over questions of strategy, but these rarely upset his relationships with them. He negotiated with Soviet Marshal Zhukov, and such was the confidence that President Franklin D. Roosevelt had in him, he sometimes worked directly with Stalin, much to the chagrin of the British High Command who disliked being bypassed." This man showed his great ability to be led and thus take the lead over and over again in this war, and he was rewared accordingly. His story is a model that serves to support the concept that hard work and discipline truly does pay off.
In November of 1945, Dwight returned to take over as Chief of Staff. His main job was to demobilize millions of soldiers an find them jobs, which would turn out to be a very slow process. Later, he introduced the "Eisenhower Doctrine." "In relation to the Middle East, the U.S. would be "prepared to use armed force...[to counter] aggression from any country controlled by international communism." The Eisenhower Doctrine of 1957 declared that the United States would distribute economic and military aid and, if necessary, use military force to stop the spread of communism in the Middle East." This doctrine played out in the United States sending aid to the Kingdom of Jordan to supress a upheaval that had risen up. These kinds of things were at the heart of the Eisenhower Doctrine.
Finally, Eisenhower's most important trait that led to him being the incredible leader that he was. His desire and discipline to serve and compete with his fellow soldiers are what allowed them to trust him in times of despair. His leaderhsip led them out of trouble and this only occured because they were comfortanle to trust him because of his leadership. "Our landings in the Cherbourg-Havre area have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold and I have withdrawn the troops. My decision to attack at this time and place was based on the best information available. The troops, the air and the Navy did all that bravery and devotion to duty could do. If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt, it is mine alone." Those last words are the heart of this great man. Responsibility, discipline, and hard work.

The Watergate Scandal

Monday, February 15, 2010

Abraham Kuyper and Calvinism

Abraham Kuyper
Abraham Kuyper was born on October 29, 1837 and died on November 8, 1920. His life was full of proclamation and defense of his views and faith. This man truly fulfilled the defense of the Christian faith as Christ desired it. With all this in mind, I will now go into the study of this great man, Abraham Kuyper.
Kuyper was born to Jan Frederik Kuyper and Johanna Kuyper. He was home schooled from a very early age and excelled greatly in all academics. His teacher was his father, who was the minister for the Dutch Reformed Church in Hoogmade. He had no true formal education but had a secondary education later in his life. This is what is so amazing about Kuyper. “In 1862 he was promoted to doctor in Theology on basis of a dissertation called "Disquisitio historico-theologica, exhibens Johannis Calvini et Johannis à Lasco de Ecclesia Sententiarum inter se compositionem" (Theological-historical dissertation showing the differences in the rules of the church, between John Calvin and John Łaski).” (Wikipedia) Abraham quickly became a doctor in theology which was his greatest love of study. His deepest desire was to delve into the Scriptures and the books of his hero John Calvin and compare and contrast them with gentleness and respect.
Kuyper was a Dutch Calvinist who was extremely passionate about that title. He studied the ideas and methods of the great John Calvin with intelligible intensity. However, he also studied the theology of John Laski. His favor leaned toward Laski in the early days of his study. This was because the ideas of Laski were not as controversial as those of John Calvin. With these studies in full form, Kuyper began to realize God changing him day by day. He always had showed favor to the theology of John Laski and now he was beginning to realize that God had different plans for his beliefs and evangelism. He began to see the deep truth of Calvin’s Five Points and the totality of his theology and views toward evangelism.
Kuyper’s study of Calvinism set him on fire for evangelism. He began to lecture as the minister of the Dutch Reformed Church. Many of his lectures were on the topic of Calvinism which stirred up many debates and arguments in his native Holland. He, however, was greatly versed in the issues and was often able to solve debates and arguments with his own knowledge and study. Abraham Kuyper is most famous for, “The Stone Lectures,” which were 6 lectures preached by Kuyper on the topic of Calvinism. These lectures were sparked by Kuyper’s study of Calvinism and his fondness of it. He began to see the truth of this issue and thought that it had such great importance that he needed to preach on the topic so that his congregation would know the truth. The first lecture was, “Calvinism As A Life System.” Kuyper preached this sermon first because he thought this was the basis of Calvinism, that it should be lived out as a life system. This quote by Kuyper is a part of his first great sermon. “From the first, therefore, I have always said to myself,–If the battle is to be fought with honor and with a hope of victory, then principle must be arrayed against principle; then it must be felt that in Modernism the vast energy of an all-embracing life-system assails us, then also it must be understood that we have to take our stand in a life-system of equally comprehensive and far-reaching power. And this powerful life-system is not to be invented nor formulated by ourselves, but is to be taken and applied as it presents itself in history. When thus taken, I found and confessed, and I still hold, that this manifestation of the Christian principle is given us in Calvinism. In Calvinism my heart has found rest. From Calvinism have I drawn the inspiration firmly and resolutely to take my stand in the thick of this great conflict of principles. And therefore, when I was invited most honorably by your Faculty to give the Stone-Lectures here this year, I could not hesitate a moment as to my choice of subject. Calvinism, as the only decisive, lawful, and consistent defence for Protestant nations against encroaching. and overwhelming Modernism,–this of itself was bound to be my theme.” (Kuyper) This is the heart of Abraham Kuyper. Calvinism is the life system that the Bible details. Principles have great power, and Calvinism has the greatest power of all principles. The greatest protection against Modernism is the life system of Calvinism.
Kuyper speaks of Calvinism as the life system of the Christian principle, and as the place his heart found rest. This place is also known as Scripture. Calvinism is well spoke out in Scripture and is the reason why many great theologians have found it to be the only life system that Scripture truly implies and supports. John Calvin’s only goal and desire, was to study the sacred Scripture, interpret it correctly, and speak this interpretation to all other people. With this goal accomplished came Calvinism. And with Calvinism. Abraham Kuyper found rest and began to preach and influence the lives of many great theologians.