Archive for the Character Counts Category
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Without Love There Can be no Miracle
Many years ago I had an epiphany experience that changed my life forever. It was a miracle. The unspoken foundation of a miracle is the presence of pure love. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are not God-given laws, but if you are lucky
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It’s Called Free Will For a Reason
There are a lot of classic year-end resolutions made during this time of the year. But there is a big difference between the commitments we make and the actions we take. We say the words with good intentions and try to make sense of them according
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Author Interview: Sociology Students Ask Questions About Growing up Poor
The Project: Students studying sociology at a northeasrtern university were asked to read the memoir, "Everything Will Be All Right", as a class assignment. They were asked to use their sociological imaginations to study the behavioral patterns of
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OWS Struggles to Fit in with the Homeless
“Just because a child is born into poverty,” a Job Corps teacher once said to me in a rather scornful tone, "it doesn’t give you the right to demand other people’s money or property — neither more nor less than any other member of society."
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Troubled Teens: How Can We Save Them?
When thinking about the culture of poverty, start with the proposition that poverty is evil– people are not. By way of example, we’re all born equally innocent, a happy baby in search of the good. There is no rule that says a child bor
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Myths and Inconvenient Truths About Children in Poverty
There are many unknown factors when it comes to poverty, especially if you come from a background of the middle and upper classes. Though we can't predict the future, we can dispel some myths, and confirm some inconvenient truths, that collective
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Solutions for Parents with Troubled Children
Looking back I can see clearly how often throughout my troubled boyhood I was touched by words of encouragement. And random acts of kindness also also helped to shape me into the man I am today. And random acts of violence and ignorance
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The Brainwashing of America’s Youth
Few people recognize this phrase as a quote from the Bible. Some of you may recognize this phrase because of the hymn, , the words and music created John S. B. Monsell and William Boyd in 1863: Fight the good fight with all thy might; Christ is t
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High School Dropouts Need Not Give Up
Too often high school dropouts give up. I understand the feeling. When I dropped out of high school just three months before graduation, I was totally unprepared for the humiliation, the low sense of self-worth, and the shame that followed.
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Self-Aggrandizement–An Indication of Strength or Insecurity?
Not long ago my wife and I were having dinner outside on the patio watching the beautiful San Diego sunset. I don’t remember why, but the conversation suddenly turned to a discussion of self-aggrandizement. Everyone does it we agreed, but
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