Hey,
You know how the government takes Thomas Jefferson's phrase "wall of separation of Church and State" and says that it means that the government can have nothing to do whatsoever with religion, even to a point where they won't let a church share buildings with a school?  Well, here's another quote from Jefferson.
"[N]o man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever, nor shall be enforced, restrained, molested, or burthened in his body or goods, nor shall otherwise suffer, on account of his religious opinions or belief; but that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion, and that the same shall in no wise diminish, enlarge, or affect their civil capacities."

Also, from the Bill of Rights:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..."

Both of these are saying that no one should be forced to profess a certain faith, not that there should be no contact between Church and State.

And, Jefferson's quote about the wall of separation of church and state is badly taken out of context.  What it means, as most of you probably know, is that the government cannot keep people from freely worshiping, not that Church and State can have no contact.

Wouldn't it be nice if the government knew that?

Cyber vs. Reality

     Hey, everybody.  How many of you use Facebook?  I'm guessing just about all.  I don't, but many, many teens do.  How many of you text?  I am guessing most of you.  How many use Twitter?  Again, I'm guessing a lot.  So many teens use social websites or text messages, and I just want to say this:  while they're useful tools, don't fall into the all too common trap of spending too much time on them.  You probably think, "Well, I personally don't spend much time on it."  Well, time yourself.  See if that is so.  I challenge you.

     One thing that I really can't stand seeing is when teens text constantly.  Texting some is fine.  I will never do it, but it is okay if other people choose to do it.  But if you just stand in a school, a public building, or an amusement park for a while, you will notice.  And you will get annoyed.  I saw some teens at a local amusement park la few days ago, and after every single ride and between rides, they were on their phones, texting or surfing the web.  

     As I said, texting and surfing the web some is fine.  It just gets excessive when that's all you do.  So time yourself, and see how long you are on social websites and texting.  Make sure you spend a lot of time in the real world as well as the cyber world.

Hey everybody GS here.  I've been doing bog maintenance for this blog for the last few years since I stopped being the main poster.  I've just realized that there are dead links here and there around this blog give me a few days and I'll try to get those fixed.  Thanks for understanding.
The Big One
GS

A lot has been happening lately.  Bombs, shootings, wars, natural disasters, crashes, and other terrible things.  But do you ever feel detached from it all?  You know, like you are concerned about it and all, but it isn't that big?  Obviously, if it happened to you, it would seem different.  Just remember that it could.  Those things in the news tell about things that happen to people just like us.
Ever noticed that with nearly every terrible event, there is a hero?  I don't know about all of them, but with at least some of them, the reason that they kept a level head during those times might be because they avoided thinking "Oh, those things happen to other people, not me."  If they were mentally prepared, even just a little bit, they could have kept a level head better.  But than, I don't know.  But it is something to think about, isn't it?

Study

     Here is something that will really help you in your studies throughout the year.
     During the summer, keep learning.  I know, you want a break from all your school/homeschool work.  (You're lucky.  I keep working during the summer.)  I'm not saying to work as hard as during the winter; just brush through your work.
     The first lesson in my pre-algebra book is about addition and subtraction.  The next is about multiplication.  Division doesn't come until several lessons later (and even then it teaches remainders, not decimals, until several more lessons are passed).  I should expect that division is in the first review lesson at the beginning of the book, but no, it's not.  It's several lessons in.
     I was surprised by this, since I never take long breaks during the summer.  After all, it is made for eighth grade.  Eighth graders should know division, right?  However, I was told that people really do forget a lot during the summer.  Not quite that much, but having such ridiculously easy lessons is necessary so people are all on the same page.
     So what I'm saying is that you should just practice your work once or twice a week so you don't forget a lot when school/your homeschool work begins again.  That way, for the first several weeks of school, you will be brushing through your work and you will eventually turn out a lot smarter than if you didn't.
     I hope it works out for you.  Good luck!

Hi everyone.  Sorry for the delay.
Have you ever marveled at God's creation?  Not just thought "Wow.  That's pretty," but actually studied it really closely?  It is wonderful to look at, but if you study it really closely, it just gets better.
Take the woodpecker, for example.  God somehow taught it to close it's eyes the first time that the first one pecked.  "Why?" some of you might wonder.  The reason is that if the woodpecker's eyes would pop out if it didn't, so great is the force of the blow.  The first woodpeckers had to know this, yet until they actually pecked, how could they?  The only answer is that God put it in the woodpecker's natural instincts.  Amazing, right?
Take any other animal.  They all have natural instincts and features that all point to the fact that they could not possibly evolved, because if they did, the very first ones would have died before it could reproduce, thus there would not be any of those creatures.  God had to create them.
For more amazing animals, check out the documentary series "Incredible Creatures That Defy Evolution."  It's interesting and highly informative.
It is indeed true.  All creatures really do glorify God.

The last two posts were more serious, so I figured that I may as well put something a little more lighthearted.  Here's a link: http://www.studentnewsdaily.com/archive/human-interest-news-stories/.  It's a page full of interesting (and unique) news stories from 2008-present.  Hope  you enjoy!

  Here's an observation that I had today: In almost of the history books that I read, the myth that Emperor Nero fiddled while Rome burnt is refuted only by the fact that there were no fiddles at that time.  The original myth stated that he played the lyre, not the fiddle, but that is not the case.  He did work hard to save Rome, and he even opened up his personal gardens to the homeless.  He only played the lyre on a short break.  Please remember, I am not trying to excuse Nero's despicable behavior, because it has no defense.  He was terrible, murderous, cowardly, and preferred pursuing little pleasures rather than making decisions about Rome.  (But based on the decisions that he did make, that may have actually been a good thing.)

  My point is that people are so willing to make up things to make their grudges even more reasonable to them.  It's not needed; Nero did plenty of bad things, and we don't need to make up more.  But people do, because of their grudges.  But we shouldn't be that way.

  A while ago, Gen J's book of the month was Do Hard Things.  It's a great book; very informative.  And I think that just the title tells us something about what people are not doing: hard things.  How aren't they?  Well, it's easy to hold anger, hate, and grudges.  But what about keeping a grasp on reality?  That's harder, I'm sure, but it is better in the long run.  We don't need to make up stories just because Nero was a horrible person, but instead we should learn from his real mistakes.

  Learn the facts instead of making up fiction.  America needs thinkers, not people who let their hatred make decisions.  I challenge you.  Do the hard thing.  Do the right thing. 

  Hey people!  Sorry about the lack of posts, but Gen J of the Lehigh Valley has been a little inactive.  But we are now trying to get started again, so here come the posts.  I will try to post a small challenge, link, video, or fun fact every week until the club is back up.  That will get me in the habit of posting things, so I will remember to post things when the club is up and running again and there is something to post about.

  So, for this week here's a challenge: Many people think that the Bible has been re-written many times over the thousands of years that is has existed.  However, they cannot explain how the Bible is the most historically and scientifically accurate book ever written.  There has been no book found from ancient times that has been more accurate.  However, most people don't know about that.  They believe what they are told to believe by people who are trying to destroy proof of any moral standards that distinguish right from wrong, like the Bible does.  So here's where the challenge comes in: inform people.  Not just on that subject, but on other things, too.  Many people believe anything that a large newspaper or a famous movie star say, but you don't have to.  Read from more than one viewpoint, be willing to listen, and most importantly, think. If you do so, you will be able to refute myths and lies that you hear.  I'm really serous about this.  Please think.  America's future lies in the hands of the people.  If  the people do not think, America will undoubtedly be driven into the ground.  Please, I know it sounds like I'm exaggerating, but America's future really does lie in your hands.  Please think.

Don't Go With the Flow

There is a common saying: "Go with the flow." It means, as we all know, that we should fit in and do what all the others are doing. Well, I am telling you not to.

I am telling you not to take lots of time and using lots of money on looking like everyone else. The styles are just going to change, and looks are extremely deceiving and unimportant. Yes, I am a teenage girl telling you that I don't care about how I look aside from looking decent.

I am also telling you not to do what everyone else is doing. I'm sure that you know about the thousands of people lured into drugs, alcohol, crime, et cetra, simply because they wanted to fit in.

Perhaps you are wondering that if you should not look or act like other people for the sake of fitting in, then what should you do? After all, if you are shy and do not want to stand out, then it seems perfectly logical to work to fit in. However, if you spend your time on things other then just to fit in and impress your friends, then you will find that you lead a much more productive life. If you are productive, then you will slowly start to be less shy, and more concentrated on getting the job done then hiding from embarrassment.

If you need an encouraging example, then look at the Christian Church. Christians believe that you should not do what others are doing if it is not right according to the Bible, and the core feelings, also known as the conscience. We believe that, despite being ridiculed, tortured, and killed. Christians refuse to give up their core values, even if it means being laughed at (or worse).

Generation Joshua supports making a difference (from a Christian perspective), even though some people may laugh when they hear about what we do.

In conclusion, ignore it if people laugh at you for being out of style! Ignore it if people laugh at you for doing what's right! If you're doing what's right, continue doing it, no matter how much others may laugh at you!

Onward Christian Soldiers!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! Boys and men, don't watch too much football and help with the dishes! Girls and women, make them help with dinner! If they don't, have them make Christmas dinner.
Thanks-
Marie

A Tale of Two Current Events

There are two major political current events in the U.S. right now: Occupy Wall Street and a possible verdict that President Obama's heath care is unconstitutional.
On the latter subject, while Gen J is neutral on most things, we do have some principals in Gen J. And forcing people to get something that will cost us thousands, perhaps millions, of unnecessary dollars, does not comply with our principals. But what will the Supreme Court decide? Will we be forced to pay our hard-earned money to a program that does not even comply with our principals, or with the constitution?
On the Occupy Wall Street protests, they are unlawful. They are unsanitary, sometimes violent, and they disturb the peace. The protesters are well-off people, and what they are doing is a rebellion against the government. And Obama, who is the president, the highest office in our government, seems to support them. There is a problem here. There is a thick line between a peaceful protest and an outright rebellion. As I mentioned before, the protesters are well-off people, more so then many of the people who are against the protests. Also, many of the protesters are drug abusers who overdose on drugs. Not unusual. How ever, in a crowded camp... I think you get the picture of the unsanitary conditions. They probably also influence others to take drugs, too, before they take just too many pills. Concerning the violence, while I haven't heard of any fatalities, these protesters are dangerously brutal. Aside from attacking police officers while resisting arrest, however, there is none. But attacking any one is illegal, and police officers... well, I'll just say that these people are either brave or foolish, probably the latter. Gen J does support protests, but only non-disruptive, non-violent ones. Occupy Wall Street does not fall into those categories, to say the least. Gen J supports changing the government by campaigning, not by camping out and being stubborn, while blocking access to public places. Thus I can say that Gen J does not support Occupy Wall Street.

Always Do Your Best! Yes, This Means You!

Some people call the people who want to get somewhere in life "over achievers." But think about it. It's not us who want to go somewhere, do something, and help lots of people who have a problem. It's those who don't want to who have a problem.
For everyone, "over achievers" or not, I want to challenge you to something. Do more or better with something. Here are some examples:
You can do 30 push-ups. Try to do 50. (Do this over a perod of 2 or 3 weeks, otherwise you'll strain yourself.
You just can't finish a book. It's great, but just too long. Finish it.
Your grades average around Bs and Cs. Strive for As and A+s. (Homeschoolers, you too. I know that homeschoolers sometimes don't do much with grades because, on average, the grades are As, but there are still those harder subjects that you can probably work on some. Strive for 100%, everyone.)
Everything comes easly to you: school work, sports, dance, gym, making friends, carrying on a conversion. You hardly ever need to work hard. Change that. It might take a little while for an oppertunity to arise, but once an oppertunity does come, take it, unless it's something that you don't want to do for any reason other then pure laziness or fear. If everything comes everything comes easely to you, then you're not even working, really.
Your conversations center around jokes. You have great grades, you're athletic, you're scholarly, you are in 3 clubs, and you're popular. But your conversations have more laughing then talking, more joking then seriousness. You are not a joker, but you're not serious, either. Improve that. Teenagers are not at an age were they can play too much, teenagers are adults in training. You know this, but don't put it into practice. You laugh at things that aren't funny, which puts everyone into a silly mood. There goes a productive conversation. Change that behavior. I don't talk like that, I don't want to. If you stop, then you will find that you are glad that you changed your behavior, so change it!
These are just a few of the many things that you can improve/change. Work on these things, and then comment on your success. By the end of January, I want at least 30 people to comment on their success. But you need to keep these traits up, even after you report your success. I know that 30 people is a big goal, so tell your friends about this. I had it bigger, but I didn't seem to be getting any comments except my own. PLEASE comment on your sucess! I know that people CAN do better at things, but they don't seem willing to do so! If you CAN do better at some good quality, (and I know that EVERYONE can do better at good things) then PLEASE, PLEASE DO SO!! I even had to give an extra month for people to improve in! I shouldn't need to do that! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE IMPROVE!! Please, even after the new year, keep commenting on your success. Keep the comments going, and strive for excellence!

Thanks for your co-operation!-
Marie

Holidays, Holidays

Thanksgiving. Christmas. Easter. The three most celebrated holidays in the U.S.A. Of course, they are true "Holidays," since the the word "Holiday" comes from the words "Holy Day." However, many people have no idea that Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving are Christian holidays. If they do know it, then they don't show it.
For everyone who is a Christian, we know what the holidays are about: Thanksgiving for thanking God for our many, many blessings, Christmas for celebrating the coming to earth of out Savior, Jesus Christ, and Easter for rejoicing the resurrection of Jesus and the ultimate victory over evil. But how much do we include the true reasons in our celebrations of the holidays? Is football intruding too much on Thanksgiving? The merriness and presents too much on Christmas? The egg hunts and candy intrude too much on Easter? How much are you letting those things upset your worship and praise? I'm not saying that football is bad, I think that it's rather pointless, but I have nothing against it. Presents, egg hunts, and candy aren't necessarily bad; they can be bad if you let them get in the way. Being merry isn't bad, but shouldn't we be joyful on Christmas?
I want people to comment, telling how much they really think about the real reason for the holidays. You might be surprised at how little that we think about the true meanings of the holidays, and that's something that we need to change.
Thanks-Marie

Election Day 2011

Election day 2011. There are no big elections this year, but there are still local elections. Here are some things that you always should consider before you vote:
Who is the most pro-life?
Who is the most pro-family?
Who values marriege as a commitment between one man and one woman?
Who is the most honest, and has the best record?
Who will control taxes the best?
Who has the most qualifications?
Who does not build themselves up only by tearing down their opponents, often with half-truths?
Who will be affected by any laws that they will propose/pass/support?
Who has a similar belief structure to yours?
Who values integrity above money or power, and who doesn't?
Who has prior experence with leading?
Keep in mind that there are other things to consider, too, this is just a base to branch off of.
Thanks-Marie

Global Warming vs. Snow Men

Ah, global warming!
Snow in November,
Snow in October,
Blizzards in April,
A cooler year now then a few years gone by.
Yes, indeed, global warming!
The world must be getting hot!
"'Tis a danger," some insist, but I say "'Tis not!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yes, we have had a blizzard in April, years ago, before I can remember, but other, older people do remember such a thing, and I think that it was around 15-25 years ago. Don't quote me on that, though.
Last year or the year before, we had enough snow on Thanksgiving to make a good-sized snow man. And right now, October 31, there is a lovely snowman in my yard. It was built on the 30th. There was around four inches of snow. Please keep in mind that Pennsylvania can be unpleasent because of humidity, not cold!
Yes, global warming is heating up the earth, is it not?
Thanks-Marie

Hi, Marie here, the new poster for this blog, since The Big One, GS is too old to participate in regular club activities and also too old too post on this blog, except for maintenance. Here is a video that I compiled from different pictures and parts of videos. I'm afraid that you might recognize the pictures, but the next video I do, I'll try to get original pictures.
Thanks-Marie

9/11 Ten Years Later ( a view from a 12 year old Gen J Club of the Lehigh Valley Member)

This is a write up from one of our members.

Ten years ago, on 9/11/01, terrorists hijacked airplanes and crashed them into the World Trade Center. Many, many, many, people were killed. I just saw some footage of the first Fox News report of it. At first, for those who don't know, they were just having a casual report. Then, they got the shocking report that an airplane had just flown into the World Trade Center. They said that it was an accident. But then, several minutes later, when they were disusing what could have caused this tragic crash, but then they saw live footage of another airplane crashing into the second tower, the west tower. This was no accident. This was a deliberate attack, as they quickly agreed. They were calm and efficient, but I wonder how calm they would have been off of the camera. One thing is for sure, their calmness is probably what kept many people calm themselves.


It took my breath away when I watched the ten-year-old video, and I cannot imagine how I would have reacted if I did not know what was going to happen, and if I did not know that this happened ten years ago. I am glad that I wasn't nearby at the time. I have no idea what I would have done, as I'm sure is the case with most of America's population. Most people would have panicked because of fright, confusion, and terror. And it is just as horrifying now as it was ten years ago.

I was two years old when this tragedy hit, and I kind of --sort of-- remember it, but that doesn't make it any less horrifying when I see the videos. To talk about it is one thing, but to see it... it's awful. No, more then just awful... There is no word to describe this.

I saw the plane hit the tower, and I saw the towers starting to weaken. That was all that I needed to see. I have read the rest. I know what happened.

Soon after this tragedy, many people prayed. They helped with charities. They enlisted. Now, on this tenth anniversary of those horrible attacks, let us get involved in such things again. The Christians have not stopped praying. But what about the charities? And not all of the terrorists have been stopped. There are still attacks. We still need soldiers. We still need help.

Please, people, Pray. Volunteer. Enlist. Help. Remember.

Andy Harris SAT 2010

This is a report that one of our Gen J of the Lehigh Valley members wrote. We are hoping to get photos and video shortly.

If you're talking about three people who made over 1,000 phone calls each, in one day and thousands of other phone calls on the same day all by a small group of teenagers spread out in two nearby campaign offices, then you're probably talking about the Generation Joshua Student Action Team (SAT) for Andy Harris in the Maryland Congressional election of 2010. Yes, some east coast SAT records were set with that election.
(I'm saying east coast because there was also another record breaking SAT in Vancouver, Washington, bigger records, probably bigger team, more than likely faster phone systems, just-as-hard workers, and the possibility that they didn't do door-to-door campaign work, but I'm not writing about it because I wasn't there).

There was a Maryland SAT record set on the day before the election with over 700 phone calls for one particular person, non-constant phone calling; and, on election day, all or most personal records were broken by most-or-all-of-the-day-calling by each volunteer. Three people even broke one thousand phone calls on election day (now, if you live in Maryland congressional district one you know who to blame for the pestering, but effective, phone calls).

Oh, did I mention that on most or all of the days we did door-to-door campaign work, and on some of the days sign waving? Now, keep in mind that the oldest regular student and record holder for a one-phone-at-a-time basis of calling for the Maryland SAT is 19; the others are younger, and many of them had no prior experience with phone banking. Besides, the team had only thirty-some people on it, and the team had many first-time-members on the SAT.

Nevertheless, with the phone banking, door-to-door (people are the most polite there), and sign waving, Harris won the election. That's the important thing. As for me, I didn't break any records except my own, but I was the youngest on the SAT (it was my first SAT) and got some pretty strange (and very long) phone calls, as did several others.

We were trying to get people who normally didn't vote or had forgotten the election to vote for Harris. The volunteer work is important and must be done, no matter how pestering it may seem. We made sure people didn't forget the election.

Anyway, I noticed that in spite of the not-so-friendly people that we would get over the phone, or yelling out of their cars at sign wavers, everyone seemed to be having fun. The Fire Pelosi rally was one of the best parts of the SAT, despite the angry people who were driving past.

Also, I noticed that many of the people I was in contact with over the phone seemed to think that I am an adult, and asked me who I was voting for. They were surprised that I was too young to vote and one was shocked at my age. That means that not enough people know about Generation Joshua. But that will change.

Anyway, it's amazing what a group of kids can do, and have fun doing, isn't it?

Another Gen J club on the internet

I came across another gen j club online recently. Pact gen j out of Montana has a website and a blog.
Visit them at pactgenj.org

You can get to there blog and you tube page from the website.