Personal experience of God

Personal experience of God 1. Describe your personal experience of God and the understanding of God you derived from biblical, theological, and historical sources. Throughout history, people developed the idea of a higher being, who is referred to as god in general. Some people simply deny the existence of god or any other spiritual being. And other people who accepted the existence of god explained the identity of god in various ways. Deism sees the cosmos as a closed system with its maker outside it; so denies Gods direct control of events and his miraculous intrusions into this world. Pantheism recognizes no creator-creature distinction, but sees everything, including good and evil, as a direct form of God. Christianity joins with the Jewish and the Muslim faiths in proclaiming radical monotheism, which states that God is One and that God is the God of all. Distinctive to Christian theism is the belief that the personal creator is as truly three as he is one. God is a single being who exists, simultaneously and eternally, as a communion of three persons: Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The three Godhead are eternal which means they coexist from past through future. In Matthews account of Christs baptism, as Jesus the Son went up from the water, the Spirit of God descended upon Him as a dove and the Father testified from the heaven of His beloved Son (Mt 3:16-17). This scene clearly portrays the simultaneous existence of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. The Christian understanding of God is specific in that Christians believe that God has been, and continues to be, historically involved with the people of Israel and has made a new covenant with all people in Jesus Christ.   In other words, we believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments bear witness to Gods active love for creation as revealed in Jesus of Nazareth. God revealed himself through various channels including the Scripture, experiences and nature. Although there are many ways in which God reveals Gods self, the best place to find out about God is through the Scripture that God gave us. In the book of Exodus, I personally found Gods character and the qualities that are ascribed to him. Exodus 3:7-8 says that The LORD said, I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honeythe home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. (NIV) These are the words that God said to Moses from the burning bush. I believe that in this communication with Moses, God revealed who he was. God whom I believe in is the God who has seen the misery of his people, heard them crying out and has been concerned about their suffering. In another translation, it is said that God knew their suffering (NRSV). In the context of this chapter, my people indicate Israel people in Egypt. Israel people at that time in Egypt were slaves under the Pharaoh. They were ignored people in bondage to the Egyptians. There must have been other nations considered much higher and nobler than the Israelites but the bible said that God who is the creator of the whole world saw slaves with his own eyes and heard them crying out. Hebrew word for to know in Exodus 3:8 is yada` {yaw-dah} and it implies to know by experience (Bible Work 7). In other words, God who created the whole world attentively observed and listened to slaves who were disregarded in this world and he knew of their suffering by experience. The God whom I believe in is not one who just sits on a throne in heaven and is not concerned about what happens in this world. But God in Christianity is the God who knows his people and has a close relationship with them. Exodus story indicates that God is purposeful, powerful, and sovereign in relation to this world. He has a plan for the history of the universe, which is to save his people from sins, and in executing it he governs and controls all created world. He is all powerful so he cannot be bound by any of the limitations of space or time that apply to us and he is always present everywhere. Personally, God has been there in many forms for me.   All of these attributes can be found in many parts of my personal experience with God. I have experienced God of Immanuel, who has been with me always. Jesus came to this world as Immanuel (Mt. 1:23) and his last words before he ascended into heaven was also Immanuel, I am with you always, to the very end of the age (Mt. 28:20). When I decided to go to seminary in Korea to be a pastor, I rejoiced in confidence because God was there with me. When I went to Korean Army, I endured the difficult time because God was there with me. When I came to America alone for further study, I did not fear to live in a strange land because God was there with me always. Throughout my life, the one thing that I am sure is that God has been always with me and loves me, who am the weakest among all. 2. What is your understanding of evil as it exists in the world? First of all, as Augustine said in his article, On the nature of good, I believe that God is good and every creation is good (Augustine, Chapter 34). And every creature came to exist by God without exception. Then how do we explain the origin of evil from the perfect good Creator? In regard to the matter of the origin of evil, I am of the same opinion with Augustine. Evil is lack of some good things. As it throws a shadow over us when we turn against the Sun, evil originate from a lack of goodness of God. I believe that God is the perfect Creator. One of the perfect things God created was man. Adam and Eve who were the perfect creature of God had a choice to follow God or to go against God. Without free will to choose, neither good nor evil could have been chosen. If man is ever to choose good, he must have the freedom to choose evil as well. Therefore, God did not create evil but perfect freedom to choose and human freely chose evil. After Adam and Eve chose to disobey God, evil became a reality in this world. In his Book, the City of God, Augustine recognized that evil in this world and goodness of Gods Kingdom co-exist on the earth throughout its history. However, Augustine believed that God would finally turn evil in this world into goodness of Gods Kingdom (Augustine, Chapter 13.4). By the original sin, I believe, all of us fell down from the image of God and evil came to prevail in us. However God also prepared the way through which we can be restored to Gods Image and be saved from our sins. The only way of salvation is Jesus Christ. 3. What is your understanding of humanity, and the human need for divine grace? On the last day of creation, God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness (Gen. 1:26). The image of God refers to the immaterial part of man. We were created to be set apart for God (Gen 1:28). He enabled us to commune with God. We were created in likeness mentally, morally, and socially. When we were created in Gods image, we were intended to become Gods agent so that we can take care of the world (Gen. 1:26,28). However, Adam and Eve sinned by disobeying God. And they became alienated from the Creator. That historic event brought all mankind under divine condemnation. Human nature became corrupt, and therefore, totally unable to please God. Before Adam and Eve sinned, they both had direct contact and fellowship with God. But as a result of transgressing against God, Adam and Eve lost it all. They were both banished out of the garden, God pronounced a curse on them and their descendants and on the earth in general. Death entered into the big picture and all of us are born into this world with sinful nature. In his love and grace, God made a plan to save us. In Ephesians 2:4-7, Apostle Paul tells us that God made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions.   We cannot overcome our sinful nature and death but, through Jesus Christ, God had already made provision for us to be saved. By faith through grace, we can be saved (Eph. 2:8-9). Jesus Christ is the grace of God who showed us the way of salvation. By dying on the cross, Jesus paid the full and complete price for our sins so that we do not have to pay for it. The only way of salvation is by faith through Jesus Christ. And even the faith we have comes from God. Thus our salvation is entirely the work of God. Whoever believes in Jesus Christ will be saved by the grace of God. 4. How do you interpret the statement Jesus Christ is Lord? Jesus is our Lords human and personal name, meaning savior. Christ is our Lords official title. It is the Greek synonym for the Hebrew Messiah, meaning the Anointed One. The statement Jesus Christ is Lord implies the belief that Jesus who was born of the Virgin Mary is our savior who redeems us from our sins. In other words, to accept Jesus Christ as Lord means to accept two natures in Jesus Christ; the nature of divinity and the nature humanity. Jesus Christ is fully human and fully God at the same time. Existence of these two different natures in Jesus Christ is crucial because that matters to salvation. The doctrine of the virgin birth is very important (Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23, Luke 1:27, 34). Jesus birth was the result of the Holy Spirit working within Marys body. Mary was a vessel God used to perform the miracle of the Incarnation. Denying a physical connection between Mary and Jesus would imply that Jesus was not truly human. Scripture teaches us that Jesus was fully human with a physical body like ours. Jesus was fully God as well as he is fully human with an eternal and sinless nature (John 1:14, Acts 20:28, Hebrews 2:14-17). Jesus was not born with sinful nature. The virgin birth circumvented the transmission of the sinful nature and allowed the eternal God to become a perfect man. The deity of Christ is the central belief of Christianity as well as Jesus humanity. The bible clearly claimed that Jesus had the right to forgive sins, which is something only God can do (Mark 2:5-7, Acts 5:31, Colossians 3:13). Jesus was also said to be the one who will judge the living and the dead (2 Timothy 4:1) as an ultimate judge of this world. Apostle Paul called Jesus great God and Savior (Titus 2:13), and pointed out Jesus existence in the form of God prior to his incarnation (Philippians 2:5-8). In John 1:1, deity of Christ is clarified as the same God with Father, in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1). John here affirms both the deity of Christ and the Trinity. Jesus is God who incarnated in human flesh, the living Word of God. 5. What is your conception of the activity of the Holy Spirit in personal faith, in the community of believers, and in responsible living in the world?   The Holy Spirit is the third person of the triune God. The Holy Spirit is God in the same way that the Father is God and the Son is God. Scripture and the church tradition, including Nicene Creed (We believe in the Holy Spirit who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified), indicates that the Holy Spirit, known also as the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Jesus Christ, is of the same essence as the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit worked at the beginning of a church. Apostle Paul indicated an organism of a church as the Spirit baptized body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13). And the one who leads us to become a new creation in Christ through worship is the Spirit of God (Eph. 2:18, Phil. 3:3). Each local gathering is a part of this one universal believing community as a body of Christ, and as Christs agent the Holy Spirit leads and guide us to grow into Christlike maturity   and fulfill Gods mission (Eph. 4:11-16).   The Spirit also works in a life of an individual believer. The Holy Spirit convicts lost people with respect to sin, righteousness, and judgment and by Gods power repentant and believing souls are saved. In sanctification, Holy Spirit indwells the Christian as one grows in the likeness of Christ and in his service. Scriptures tells us the Spirit who works throughout our journey of salvation. The Spirit leads us to repent our sins (John 16:7), makes us born again (John 3:3-5). And the Spirit empowers us to bring holiness in our life and helps us to bear fruits in our life (Galatians 5:22-23). 6. What is your understanding of the kingdom of God; the Resurrection; eternal life? As the Psalmist confessed, Your Kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations (Ps. 145:13), I believe that God is the king of his covenant people. And as Apostles Creed (from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead) and the Nicene Creed (He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead) said, I believe that Christ will be our ultimate judge at the last day and God will reign over the whole world. As the Nicene Creed stated coming of Gods Kingdom (his kingdom will have no end), there must be the coming kingdom of God in the future in which Gods reign affects the whole world. However, the Kingdom of God is more than a vision of coming Gods reign in the future. The kingdom of God speaks of a present reality though not in entirety and a future result where the reign of God over all of creation will be perfected and made whole. In Luke 17:20-21, Jesus responds to a Pharisee who asked when the kingdom of God would come, The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say here it is or there it is because the kingdom of God is within you. As well as we experience coming of Gods reign over the world in the future, we will experience the Kingdom of God here and now although it is a foretastes of the fullness of Gods Kingdom. The resurrection of Christ on the third day after his crucifixion and his ascension to be with God until He comes again for the final time of judgment also marks the path of all those who claim faith in Christ. At the time when the Good News of Jesus Christ spreads to the whole nations, he will surely come to the world again (Mt. 24:14) from the heaven in a cloud with power and glory (1 Thessalonians 4:16). At that time people who accepted Jesus Christ as their savior will be risen from the dead (1 Thessalonians 4:15-16). Christs resurrection marked Christs victory over sin and death both physically and spiritually, we too as Christians who bear the marks of Christ gain the right to have the same victory both physically and spiritually. Eternal life is the end product of our resurrected souls. As the Apostles Creed (the life everlasting) and the Nicene Creed (the life of the world to come) insisted, I believe that those who have been saved by Christ will share the joy of eternal fellowship with Christ. Heaven means eternal joy in Christ and those who reject Christ will be judged to the eternal condemnation. 7. Explain the role and significance of baptism in the ministry to which you have been called. Sacraments are acts instituted by Christ and administered by a church having an outward form and conveying Gods grace. Baptism is one of two United Methodist sacraments the other is the Lords Supper. These sacraments are means of grace within the covenant community. They are visible signs and seals of something internal and invisible and the means by which God works in us through the power of the Holy Spirit. The scriptural mode of baptism is found in the New Testament. It records that Jesus was baptized by John (Mt. 3:13-17), and he commanded his disciples to teach and baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit (Mt. 28:19). Whoever accepts Jesus Christ as their savior is eligible to be baptized. Baptism conveys Gods grace that redeems us from our sins through the atonement of Christ. Therefore, baptizing of a person, whether as an infant or an adult, is a sign of Gods saving grace. In baptism, we witness that Gods grace is poured upon everybody regardless of their condition. Even though baptism is the special channel through which we experience Gods grace of the atonement of Christ, baptism does not guarantee our salvation. As John Wesley insisted in his sermon, Scripture Way of Salvation, salvation is a lifelong process of responding to Gods grace. By being baptized, we become a covenant people of God who have a promise that the Holy Spirit will work in our lives. However, salvation is not automatically obtained by baptism but by accepting Christ as our savior, trust in Christ and grow in holiness to be near unto God. Baptism represents an act of initiation for Christian believers into the Church. By being baptized, we make a covenant of relationship between God and also between congregations in a church. As baptized Christians, we join the universal church and make a promise our loyalty as the body of Christ. 8. Explain the role and significance of the Lords Supper in the ministry to which you have been called. God provides us various ways in which we can grow in Gods grace. The Lords Supper, also known as Communion, or Eucharist, is one of the Christs gifts to the church, in which we experience Gods grace. Following Jesus example and instruction, when the church celebrates the Lords Supper we receive gifts of bread and wine. In this sacrament, we celebrate our fellowship with Christ and with each other. The invitation to the Table comes from the risen and present Christ. In United Methodist, whoever loves him, repents their sins, and seeks to live as a Christian disciple is invited to participate in the Lords Supper. By responding to this invitation we affirm and deepen our relationship with God through Jesus Christ. It is not easy to understand how bread and wine become Jesus body and blood in the Lords Supper. So it is mystery. Some churches insist that the Lords Supper is merely a memorial of Christs sacrifice and a sign of Christian fellowship. Some churches including historic Reformed churches insist that bread and wine in Communion conveys a unique spiritual power although Christs body ascended into heaven. Lutheran churches insist that Christs actual body is present with the elements of bread and wine. And the Roman Catholic churches insist that even the essence of bread and wine are changed into Christs true body and blood, with maintaining their physical reality persisting (transubstantiation). United Methodist believes that the real presence of Christ is communicated to the believers. To participate in the Lords Supper is not merely to recall the event 2000 years ago. But when we receive bread and wine with faith, it becomes dynamic action within us and we experience the grace of body and blood of Christ which is re-presented to us in the Lords Supper. The past event of our Lords death, resurrection and ascension comes into the present so that its power once again touches us, changes us, and heals us. We gather at the table with joy. Our eating and drinking is a celebration of our risen Lord. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Christ is present with us at the table and so we give joyful thanks for what God has done and is doing in our lives and in the world. We come to the table in hope. We look forward with joyful anticipation to the coming reign of God.   9. How do you intend to affirm, teach and apply Part II of the Discipline (Doctrinal Standards and Our Theological Task) in your work in the ministry to which you have been called? What we believe as Christians matters. What we believe tells us who we are. Part II of the Book of Discipline contains Methodist heritage in faith and theology and heart of Methodist doctrines. In other words, Part II of the Book of Discipline tells us who we are as Christians, particularly Methodists. It is important for Methodists to study this in order for us to have a clear understanding of our heritage, doctrine, and the faith we profess together. Our Christian faith is built on tradition which fathers in faith handed over to us. We will also add our profession of faith upon it and turn it over to the next generation. Therefore, as a pastor, to lead people into right direction to Christian faith by affirming and teaching what we believe and who we are is crucial. In order to fulfill this mission, I will preach the gospel verified in our tradition and theology. A pastor should not preach the gospel according to his or her own theology but we should profess communal faith built upon tradition. Through preaching and small group study, I will teach Methodist heritage. To learn who our fathers of faith were and what they believed will help us to know our identity and to understand the place where I am now. On the basis of our tradition, we should do our best to leave our footmarks so that our children can see and follow faith of their parents and go in the right direction. To leave footmarks of our faith is to teach our children and show them how to live out what we profess in our lives. I will teach our children the Methodist heritage and doctrine in Sunday School at a level they can understand. 10. The United Methodist Church holds that the living core of the Christian faith was revealed in Scripture, illumined by tradition, vivified in personal experience, and confirmed by reason. What is your understanding of this theological position of the Church? The scripture is the primary source of Christian faith.   It is clear that the Scripture is the primary vehicle by which we grow in faith. The scripture has great authority in teaching and guiding us in faithful living and right understanding as to the nature of God and humanity. All the scripture is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16). When we read the bible, the Holy Spirit guides us to find the truth which illuminates our life.   Church tradition is an important practice for theological reflection and interpretation of the Scripture. Christian faith has built upon our ancestors confessions of faith for a long period of time, and that formed church tradition. Tradition is a source of authority and a lens through which Scripture is interpreted inside it. Experience is an important practice for Christian faith because the scripture and theology must be understood on the basis of our experiences. Communal experience within a faith community helps us to understand Gods word toward us here and now. Reason is used to examine authenticity of theological reflection and an interpretation of the scripture. By reason we ask questions of faith and seek to understand Gods action and will. However, reason as a practice for Christian faith does not mean to have a speculative thought but it indicates to conceive under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Wesleys quadrilateral indicates the importance of checks and balances between four practices. To focus upon one practice brings danger to a church to lose its balance and have a radical view on Christian faith. Thus, to keep the balance between these four practices, with holding primacy of the scripture, is crucial. 11. Describe the nature and mission of the Church.   What are its primary tasks today? In regard to the nature of the church, I agree with the Nicene Creed which describes the church as one holy catholic and apostolic. The church, in this case, meaning universal Christian church, is one in Christ. The church is holy so it is called apart from the secular world.   Although only the part of holiness is seen at the church in the present time, we will see the fullness of holiness at the time of coming of Christ in the end. The Church is universal for all people. As it is written in 1 Cor. 12:27, Church is likened to the Body of Christ whereby the coming together of the various parts form one perfect and organic body with Christ as the head. This analogy means that the church will embrace both the fullness of Christian teaching and the diversity of people who make up the church and function as the each parts of the body. The church is apostolic so it stands in continuity with the apostolic witness. I believe that the mission of the church can be found at the Twenty-five Articles of Religion which indicates three necessary elements of the church: faith(congregation of faithful men), preaching(in which the pure Word of God is preached) and sacrament(and the Sacrament duly administered) (13th Article of Religion, 1784). The church is the gathering of people of faith, spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ, and administers sacraments. The ultimate goal of the church should be to make people disciples of Jesus Christ. Through preaching, teaching, worship, and nurturing, the Church is Gods ordained vehicle whereby others can be disciplined and experience the grace in which we stand as the body of Christ. The primary task of the Church today is to be a true mission church. As the body of Christ, bound to God and to one another through Christ, church always lives in a community. To lose dynamic organism of a church means to lose its vital power. A part which is not united with the whole is useless. For that reason, a local church should be connected with people and groups around it and be united with the universal church spiritually. If a church is connected and united, it should be transformative. If a church has a vital organic power, it will transform the world in which they live as a living plant bears fruits. God being connected to us came down in the form of flesh to dwell among us. Jesus ministry was to preach the Good News and to live out the message of love with people around him. The church that truly impacts peoples life is the church that knows people around her, shares joys and sorrows of the people, and give them hope in Jesus Christ. 12. Describe your understanding of the primary characteristics of United Methodist polity. First, the system, known as itinerancy, is the most distinguishing feature of Methodism. In many polities ministers are called, but in Methodist polity they are sent. One consequence of this system is that local congregations are generally receptive to whoever minister is sent. This gives ministry an objective quality that is not dependent on the personal characters of individuals or the expectations of parishes. One of the most valuable consequences of this polity is the relative success that United Methodist Church has had in placing women and minorities in parish situation. Second, United Methodist Church determines church policy in conferences, which function as deliberative bodies. There are several levels of such conferences. The annual conference is the basic corporate body of which the primary function is to connect local churches to one another. All ordinations take place at the annual conference. The highest deliberative body in Methodism is the General Conference. The conference legislates general policy for the church as a whole. The annual conferences are grouped geographically into the jurisdictional conference, of which there are presently five in the US. Central conferences are concerned with the work of the church outside the US. Churches within a specific area of an annual conference may assemble in district conferences. Annual meetings among local congregations or groups of contingent congregations, to which a member of an annual conference is assigned, are known as charge conference. Third, one of the unique features of Methodist governance is a structure of official leadership through which the supervisory function takes place. The executive function of the bishop includes a number of powers-particularly associated with the appointment of clergy to charges. The bishop works through district superintendents. They act as liaisons between the local parishes and the bishop. The several district superintendents in a conference are called the bishops cabinet. The district superintendent presides at the charge conferences. Fourth, an involvement of lay people in the deliberative and legislative bodies of the church has been important. Governance in contemporary Methodism is a shared responsibility of clergy and lay people. Lay preachers and lay leaders continue to work in local churches.

Expository Essay on the Life Essay

Jean Little was born in Taiwan in 1932 but grew up in Ontario, Canada. She was born with a serious eye disease and her vision is severely impaired. Though she has overcome this handicap and become a successful children’s author, it is clear that as a child, she must have suffered ridicule and mockery from other children in school and other places. She was different. Many times, children with disabilities are more sensitive than normal kids. They quickly learn that they’re different. They learn firsthand how cruel their peers can be if they look or act differently. They spend uneasy nights crying themselves to sleep. The things that happen to us during those young years we spend in grade school often affect how we live our lives and what type of people we become. Everyone can recall a memory from their childhood, a moment when they were chosen for a sport or not chosen. A moment when they were honored for some accomplishment or laughed at for some misspoken word. Committing some sin such as passing gas while giving a book report in front of the class can scar a child for life. These are the types of incidents that can turn an 8-year old boy into an extreme introvert. Or the class clown, depending upon how the child chooses to deal with the mishap. I believe that this author plays out her painful childhood on the pages of these children’s novels, but unlike her real life, always with a happy ending. In her stories, the children and the adults are kind and understanding. They’re compassionate folks who care and want to help. This is of course a stark contrast to what life is really like in the twenty-first century. Jean Little also develops stories that contain strong bonds between animals and humans, leading one to think that she may have turned away from friendships with other kids her age and instead chosen relationships with animals. Animals are non-judgmental. One thing about your dog: he’ll always love you no matter what you look like. Your cat doesn’t care if you’ve got a funny looking nose or acne. Many lonely people find lifelong friendships with a parrot. Our pets give us unconditional love, something you rarely see from humans even under the best circumstances. Jean Little’s parents were both doctors and probably made every effort to make sure that their daughter grew up as normally as possible. Having doctors as parents certainly afforded her all the best medical attention. But there’s no medicine for an injured self-image. In her books, Jean also explores strong family relationships. The homes and families in her books are happy and well-rounded, which leads one to think that her parents might have over-protected her. Perhaps they knew of the cruelty of grade-school children and wanted to build a wall around their daughter to keep her from harm. That would be a normal reaction for parents of a handicapped child. A handicapped child still sees the mockery from other students. They still hear the snickering and laughter. They hide these violations in their hearts and silently suffer. Often, the wounds are deep and the scars don’t heal. In our society, especially in recent years, children who have suffered such abuse from their peers have gone on to formulate well-thought-out plans for revenge, as in the Littleton, Colorado school shootings. They’ve bought guns and special clothing in their crusade against the cruelty of fellow classmates. {http://www. cnn. com/SPECIALS/2000/columbine. cd/frameset. exclude. html} So many times, these situations have gone unnoticed until it was too late. In recent years, the lives of teachers and students have been needlessly lost because adults have failed to realize how important, how critical it is for children to feel as if they fit in. Jean Little has taken her hurt and humiliation and turned it into uplifting literature for children. Though she too suffered verbal abuse and rejection because she was â€Å"different†, she takes her painful childhood and uses it to build great literature for kids. In her book, â€Å"Somebody Else’s Summer†, two 11 year-old girls find themselves being sent off for a long summer vacation in places where they don’t want to be. Samantha is an athletic girl, being sent to stay with her grandmother’s friend who runs a book store. She dreads going and daydreams of how boring it will be to be stuck all summer with a bunch of dusty old books. Alex is a quiet girl who loves to read. She’s is being sent to a horse farm for the summer. She is horrified to think of interacting with livestock, of getting dirty and sweaty. There will be bugs and spiders and she’s scared of what else might be found on a horse farm. These two children meet on an Air Canada flight and quickly become friends. As they talk, one of them comes up with a crazy idea. What if they traded places? I believe the author sees herself as both of these characters: a quiet girl who loves to stay indoors with her pets and her parents. But also, if only in her 11-year old imagination, this author sees herself as an outdoor type, able to hike through the woods, ride horses, and do all the other things that a normal child might do. Activities that Jean Little was never able to enjoy because of her blindness. In â€Å"Somebody Else’s Summer† Jean Little explores the idea of trading places. As a little girl, she may have daydreamed of becoming someone else, someone with healthy, normal eyes. Someone who could do all the things the other kids could do. If you read this book without knowing anything about this author, you think of it as a delightful children’s story†¦maybe something along the lines of â€Å"The Parent Trap†, an amusing tale of two kids having a summer they will never forget. There’s fun and frivolity as the girls set about taking up each other’s identity. Can they pull it off? Or will they be caught and punished? This is a charming story that any ten or twelve year old girl would enjoy reading. But if you read Jean Little’s biography, you quickly realize that she builds the story around her own reality and the life that she always dreamed of having. She is both characters and the story allows her the opportunity to explore the life she could never have. Of course she enjoyed the life she had with her parents growing up. She loved them. She loved her books and her pets. But she has spent her life having to say no to rock climbing, sky diving, canoeing, field trips†¦fun adventures that most of us take for granted. Still she dreams. She dreams of being someone else. Many handicapped children dream of being someone else. Someone healthy. They dream of going on all the adventures so-called â€Å"normal† children can go on. All kids want to be liked. They want to be popular. They need to be included. Handicapped children are no different. They have the same hopes and dreams that any other child has. It’s very important that they feel like part of the group. {http://www. hcaserves. com} When you read â€Å"Somebody Else’s Summer† knowing something about the author herself, you’re thankful that she was able to find a creative outlet for the cruel mockery she must have endured as a blind child. If she had not had the loving support of concerned parents, if she had not had a dog who loved her no matter what, her talent as a children’s author might never have developed and come to the surface. As compassionate human beings, we all love to see someone turn adversity into opportunity. We love seeing the underdog triumph. It gives us a wonderful feeling in our hearts. It reinforces what it is to be human in each of us when we see someone overcome difficulty or hardship to make something of themselves. In Jean Little’s literature and in her life, we see a woman of courage who has achieved success in spite of her physical†¦and emotional, hardships. Jean takes the lemons that life has dealt her and makes a very fine†¦and successful, lemonade stand. In her stories we can look at the world thru the eyes of an 11 year-old. We can see a hopeful future. She reminds us to focus on the positive things in this life. For a few moments, we are taken away from the cruelty of reality and transported to her world: a world where people accept you for who you are, a world where your physical appearance doesn’t matter. In her world, strangers are kind and helpful and the problems of life amount to no more than what we will have for lunch. Or what game we shall play next. Works Cited CNN Website. May 1999 http://www.hcaserves.com

Ruth Fulton Benedict Essay - 2030 Words

Considered a pioneer in her time, Ruth Fulton Benedict was an American anthropologist who helped to popularize anthropology while introducing such terms as culture and racism into common place language. As an advocate against discriminatory attitudes, Benedict advocated for tolerance and individuality within social norms and expectations and sought to determine that each culture has its own moral imperatives. Considered her most famous written work, Patterns of Culture, Benedict explores the differences between rituals, beliefs, and personal preferences and how within that culture, personality within the individual exists. While Benedict advocated for tolerance within individual choice and society, she also recognized the struggle within†¦show more content†¦Perhaps the isolation that Benedict experienced as a young girl can be considered a stepping stone to the future. Using a pen name of Anne Singleton, Benedict wrote poetry and graduated from high school at St. Margaretâ €™s Academy. Continuing to have aspirations of personal success, Benedict enrolled at Vassar College where she majored in English and later became a teacher after moving to Los Angeles with her sister. Benedict was yearning for something and yet at this time could not find what was beckoning to emerge when she married and returned to New York City. It was during this time, that Benedict experienced her internal conflicts and began to seek fulfillment. Coupled with a desire for personal growth and seeking refuge from an empty and childless marriage she began pursuing her education. This conflict was seen in Benedict’s candor in her mid to late thirties as she pursued graduate work. As written in personal journals, Benedict says, â€Å"I gambled on having the strength to live two lives, one for myself and one for the world† (Mead, p.3). Unsatisfied with her life, Benedict married a biochemist named Stanley Benedict in 1914 hoping to find meaning. Benedict and her husband were unable to have children which caused strain in the marriage during an era where women were valued as homemakers and mothers. Benedict yearned for something more in her life, and it was then that she discovered

Illegal Immigration Is The United States - 1548 Words

Illegal immigration has almost always been a part of the United States. There seems to be a neverending amount of people who believe in the â€Å"land of opportunity†, the home of the free and the brave. However, it seems that some may be more opportune than others. Illegal immigrants come to America with hopes and dreams of living a better lifestyle than the one that they currently possess. Currently, the American citizenship process is antiquated and not suited to fit a modern United States of America. Consequently, due to several constraints within the system, many are unable to achieve their dreams legally, and are treated like common crooks. Although many believe that illegal immigrants are criminals who should be deported, undocumented immigrants are victims of a broken system and are crucial to the sustainability of the modern-day American economy. On the other hand of the matter, there are many who disagree with a path to citizenship for immigrants that have arrived in the States through illegal manners. Those individuals make several reasonable arguments against citizenship for illegal immigrants. A focal point in their case is that of amnesty. Many feel it is wrong to pardon â€Å"criminals†. The Coalition for the Future American Worker explains these claims, On closer examination, however, earned legalization essentially means having gotten away with violating our immigration laws for a period of time, while not having committed any heinous crimes[we] rewardingShow MoreRelatedIllegal Immigration And The United States1573 Words   |  7 Pagesmillion illegal immigrants currently residing in the United States furthermore, for the United States economy. The correctional prerequisites against migrants were added to enactment to protect it from feedback that acquittal is absolution without outcome. Immigration makes a difference among everybody, and Congress ought to be doing everything in its energy to make it as simple as feasible for settlers to live and work lawfully what s more, openly in the United States. The United States is knownRead MoreIllegal Immigration And The United States1315 Words   |  6 PagesFor ages, the United States has seemed to be the country where people seek to move to for a better life. The United States was built on immigrants. People have always migrated to the United States both legally and illegally. The main problem the country has face with immigrants is the amount that trespass the border illegally. Illegal immigration is the unlawful act of crossing a national border(Illegal Immigration Pros and Cons). The illegal immigrant population keeps growing at an annual averageRead MoreIllegal Immigration And The United States969 Words   |  4 PagesAmerican businessman, politician, television personality, and author, is the presumptive of the y for president of the United States in 2016having won the most state primaries and caucuses and delegates to the 2016 Republican National Convention. Trump’s positions in opposition to illegal immigration, various free trade agreements that he believes are unfair, and most military interventionism have earned him particular support among blue-collar voters and voters without college degrees. Many of hisRead MoreIllegal Immigration And The United States1486 Words   |  6 PagesIllegal immigration has been an issue in the United States for a long time so the issues that come with it should not be a surprise. America was established on the basis of newcomers settling here from abroad. Recently though, thousands of illegal immigrants have come into the U.S. through either the Mexico border, the Pacific Ocean, or the Gulf of Mexico which has created a new an unanticipated issue for the U.S., in the past immigrants came from Europe and passed through the Ellis Island stationRead MoreIllegal Immigration Is The United States1805 Words   |  8 PagesIllegal immigration is the migration of people across national borders in a way that violates the immigration laws of the destination country. Some c ountries have millions of illegal immigrants. Immigration, including illegal immigration, is overwhelmingly upward, from a poorer to a richer country. The easy definition of an undocumented immigrant is someone who was not born in the United States and therefore has no legal right to be or remain in the United States. Not all undocumented immigrantsRead MoreIllegal Immigration : The United States1876 Words   |  8 PagesIllegal Immigration Due to the economic benefits of immigrant labor, the dangers of central American countries, and the basic human rights of noncitizens, the US government must grant amnesty to undocumented immigrants. Illegal immigration has become a rising issue in the US over the past few years, and it will continue to heat up coming into this year s presidential election. This issue is also very present in the local community due to it’s diversity and large Hispanic population. GenerallyRead MoreIllegal Immigration in the United States1864 Words   |  8 PagesIllegal Immigration In The United States: A Controversial Debate Illegal immigration is an on-going issue, which is of much importance in the United States today. It has been overlooked for many years, however it has reached a point where it can no longer be ignored. Most of the illegal immigrants, 54% to be exact, come through the Mexican border. (Hayes 5) Since the early 1980’s, the number of illegal Mexican immigrants has risen at an incredible rate, causing the United States government to takeRead MoreIllegal Immigration in the United States Essay2094 Words   |  9 PagesIllegal Immigration in the United States Illegal Immigration in the United States The United States (US) has always been viewed as the land of opportunity because it is the only true free country in the world. This being the case people have been fighting their way into the country for decades. However, it is becoming more and more of a problem each decade that passes. With the United States border being so close to Mexico it is now seeing the highest population of illegal immigrants toRead MoreDeportation: Immigration to the United States and Illegal Alien2373 Words   |  10 Pagesadvance because of the way the immigration process works. However, one thing we all had in mind, was to see the light of a different country, see different faces and hopefully find ways to stay. Once the airplane took off, words was already spread all over the office of Haiti air in Florida that the airplane left Haiti with more than 30 Haitian illegal on board. The first few 2 hours spent at the arrival office was like a discovery of a new world for every single illegal in that group. This was oneRead MoreIllegal Immigration And Immigration In The United States1091 Words   |  5 Pagesarrest persons for immigration enforcement purposes. (De Leon, K) The new legislation, created by California Senate President Kevin de Leon, officially makes the state of California a â€Å"sanctuary state†. Previously, de Leon determined that Donald Trump is a racist because of his positions on immigration; most notably, Trump’s attempt to defund cities that considered themselves sanctuaries. In a debate that is becoming increasingly more polarized, Brown sought to protect illegal immigrants against