25
June

Faith and Freedom

Posted by Bruce - in Blog, Faith - Comments Off on Faith and Freedom

Freedom     I believe true faith makes you free. Many people belief the opposite because of the restrictions that a faithful life can bring on a person but I believe they are looking in the wrong direction  A person of faith doesn’t have to worry about keeping up with the Jones’s, Rabinowitz’s and or Smith’s instead they only worrying about what G-D truly expects of them. This enables them to seek a profession that provides for their family and faith but not trample on their soul. This also enables them to say what they belief instead of worrying about how the masses might perceive those beliefs. They also are free of the pain and worry that those in the secular community live with because they see a higher calling to this life and the afterlife. Those of faith are not without challenges but the freedom that faith gives them enables them to see another path that others are blind to.

22
June

Revenge maybe sour!

Posted by Bruce - in Blog, Faith - Comments Off on Revenge maybe sour!

We have often heard the term “Revenge is sweet” but I beg to differ, I believe it is sour.  Their was a time in my life when I sought revenge on those that hurt or betrayed me. One individual committed such a horrible act toward me that I became consumed with thoughts of revenge and hatred. During this time period it was hard for me to show warmth to those who I cared about.  It was also extremely hard for me to take a moment to think about the good in my life.    Then I stopped!

I instead taught myself to hate what this man did but not hate the individual.  I prayed to G-D not for revenge but that this man would learn the errors of his ways and that this in turn would make his life as well as mine better.   The anger and hate were gone and I felt a stronger love to those around me and yes the roses smelt a bit sweeter then ever before. I can never fully understand the pain and hurt that others bear because of the cruelty betrayed on them. All I can say is learning to hate the act but not the individual gives you a freedom that can’t be measured.

 

. anger

21
June

The Torah/Bible’s way to help the poor.

Posted by Bruce - in Blog, Faith - Comments Off on The Torah/Bible’s way to help the poor.

The truly poor among us would be taken care of without the need of the government if only people followed G-D’s law “You shall surely open your hand to your brother, to your poor and to your  destitute in your land.” G-D commands us to help the poor but only with a “loan”. I believe this means that we are to help others in dire situations but that they should make every attempt to pay us back either financially or through their works. Thus if the individual had no true intention of paying us back then they should not ask for help. This way the poor have to find an outlet to get themselves out of this situation.helping poor

16
June

Censorship for your Children

Posted by Bruce - in arts and entertainment, Blog, Faith - Comments Off on Censorship for your Children

Do you censor what your children can watch or listen to? We all do to some degree but at what age does that censorship lesson or end? Does that censorship make the child more moral or more rebellious? What type of programs and/or music do your censor? These are difficult questions for any parent to deal with especially single parents that have to decide by themselves? Although I can’t answer this question fully for your family I hope these points help in your decision making.

(1) What is the intention of the graphic violence, sexual content and or profanity? Is it to titillate the audience or is there a deeper meaning? If there is a deeper meaning will your child understand it and/or will you be there to guide them?

(2) Is your child prone to model the behaviors they see in a movie or television show?

(3) Can your child have a profound discussion on what they’ve seen and what it truly means to them and also listen to others on this same subject?

(4) Websites like http://www.kids-in-mind.com/ can also help you in deciding if this film is right for your children

I personally have had a very liberal policy imposed on me as it relates to censorship  as a child in terms of what I could watch or hear and have passed this policy on to my children. There are times I regret this policy especially when they use profanity but in general I believe this policy has enabled my children to see the world in various colors and shapes. We then discuss these colors and shapes as a family. On the other hand I’ve witnessed many families shelter their children from certain types of media and have seen that have positive and negative effects on their children.  I hope this information is helpful.

see no evil