Freed From Auschwitz

Today is an Important day of history that should NEVER be forgotten. On this day 70 years ago, Russian soldiers freed the survivors of Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland from Nazi enslavement.

For Those Of You Who Do not know, Auschwitz was one of the MOST lethal and Well Known concentration camps. Many men, women, and children Were exterminated, abused, and experimented on there Solely Because They did not Fit With Hitler's great race.

In the 1940s Hitler was the MOST ruthless dictator of His Time. He convinced the majority of the population that Germans were the supreme race, and all others that were poisonous to the growth and development of the country. Jews, homosexuals, gypsies, dwarfs, and black people were Considered enemies.

In a vicious attempt to eliminate them completely, Hitler constructed concentration camps Where I would force Human Beings to work under horrifying conditions or commit mass murder-through the use of gas chambers.

Unthinkable and unspeakable horrors that occurred during the years Hitler was in power.

Soon, as other countries country started to notice what was happening, a second World War was of declared. Finally, in 1945 on January 27th, the survivors of Auschwitz were LIBERATED.
 

 Let us NEVER forget this day.

Let us be aware that genocide is STILL happening in modern-day society.

Let us fight this HORRIBLE injustice.

And let us NEVER persecute others based on ethnic, spiritual, or sexual differences.

Good Cop, Bad Cop

On July 17, 2014, Eric Garner died in Staten Island, New York, after a police officer put him in a chock hold. The tragedy was caught on tape, and Eric Garner was heard repeating the phrase "I can't breath" until he lost consciousness.

 

On August 9, 2014, 18-year-old Mike Brown was fatally shot by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. His sudden death, at the hands of a law officer, caused violent protests.

Those are only two examples of the slew of negative stories regarding police officers in recent Media. It seems that people are being influenced to believe that all cops are violent, racist, selfish monsters who couldn't care less about the safety and well-being of the community. This new anti-cop mentality is causing people to act out all around the country. They are "taking matters into their own hands" by murdering innocent men who bravely put on their uniform everyday with the goal of protecting absolute strangers.

The deaths of those men were a terrible tragedy, as are all untimely deaths, and the men responsible NEED TO BE held accountable. It is important that murderers learn the value of ALL human life. 

 

On December 20, 2014, uniformed police officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos were fatally shot in their squad car in Brooklyn, New york. The double murder is still currently under investigation. 

The belief that all police officers are evil is ridiculous. 

All police officers are human. Are all humans racist? No, right? Therefore, we have reason to believe that not all cops judge others by the color of their skin. In fact, most police officers take their oaths very seriously and are just as appalled as the rest of us by what happened to Eric and Mike. I do not want my son to grow up thinking that he cannot turn to a police officer in an emergency situation.

No wife/husband should have to worry that their spouse is not going to return home simply because he/she wears a uniform and a badge. No child should be told that their mother/father is in heaven because of someone's ignorant vendetta against the police. 

Once again, I encourage everyone to start thinking for themselves. 

Is it simple to make a difference! 

All you really need to do is be respectful and know your rights. This goes for police and civilians alike.

Value EVERY human life!

Christmas Tragedy

Usually, around this time of year we hear stories about miracles and brotherliness all around the world. People go out of their way to lend a helping hand, but a few days ago a horrible event took place in Pakistan. 

The Taliban raided a military school and opened fire, killing 132 children from grades 1 through 10. Many of the children were civilians and all of them were completely innocent. One father commented that his 14 year old son left home in his uniform and returned in a coffin. 

 

Once again, intolerant men were carrying out their perverted view of "justice."

While it is important to remember that this season is about love and thanksgiving, we cannot ignore the fact that children are dying, not just in Pakistan, but all over the world. As we rush into stores to buy presents for those we cherish, many others are suffering and grieving. 

This year, we have to emphasize the true meaning of Christmas: a savior was born into an evil place to save us from the sin that enslaves us all, so that we could have hope for a perfect eternity. 

Thank God that you are safe, comfortable, and warm. 

Thank God that you are able to show your children, family, and friends how much you care about them. 

Thank God that you are alive and well today. 

There are not enough words to express my condolences. 

My heart bleeds for those kids, and especially for theirs mothers and fathers. 

No parent should ever suffer the loss of a little one; no one should ever know that pain. 

'Tis the season to be grateful for the peace in your life in a world that is filled with despair.

Honor the 132 children who lost their lives by living like Jesus, and spreading the love to everyone you meet. 

No exceptions.

ISIS Recruiting Teens

For those of us praying for peace in Syria, things have not improved by much, if anything they have worsened. The city is now a completely inhabitable ruin, and the fighting continues to rage on each day. 

The problem is that most of us are unaware of what ISIS even is. 

It stands for Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Their goal is to create an Islamic state across Sunni areas of Iraq and in Syria. ISIS is the group of Islamic terrorists that have taken over much of Syria, forcing thousands of innocent people from their homes and murdering hundreds more.

What is worse is that they are beginning to recruit teenagers and young adults all around the world. They have propaganda in an estimated 23 languages so far, and the CIA has detained 15 teenagers in airports who were on their way to Syria to their "rightful place" with ISIS.

This group in KNOWN for being ruthless. They posted the graphic beheading of American captives publicly online, expressing no remorse. 

So, how are they getting youth to join?

Through effective social-media campaigns that promise devout Jihad spouses, and a home in a true Islamic State where they are free to devote their lives entirely to their religion and their God. 

The video looks a little something like this:

Let's not be so naive. 

Spread the word to everyone you can and inform them of the evils that ISIS has committed so that NO MORE youths are encouraged to join such a horrible group! 

Ignorance can infect an entire generation if we are not careful, knowledge is the only cure. 

It's Getting Hot In Here!

 

No, it's not just you, it is really getting warmer, and the United States is not the only country being affected. The World Meteorological Organisation reported that the global average land and sea surface temperatures for the first 10 months of 2014 had soared higher than ever recorded. WMO also reported that 14 of the 15 hottest years were recorded in the 21st century. 

Global Warming is no longer a crazy, extreme theory, as once believed by many!

Now that people have finally accepted it, what are people doing about it? 

The United Nations weather agency gathered in Lima to discuss climate change negotiations in attempts to prevent the temperatures from rising to dangerous levels. 

While that is a very good thing, we have to remember that it is NOT only up to them! 

It is up to humans to collectively realize this dangerous problem and work together on the solution. 

The best part is that the things we can do to help are so simple!

Tips on bringing downs the heat:

- Change your light bulbs in your home to Energy Star qualified products.

- Carpool to work with your coworkers. Make it fun by sharing breakfast pastries and coffee!

- And one that I hope we all know, REDUCE, REUSE, and RECYCLE!

 

White Rhinos

In case you have not heard, there are now only 6 White Rhinos left in existence since the death of a 34 year old male rhino on October 17. Once those 6 rhinos die, the African White Rhino will be extinct, meaning that there will be no more rhinos in the entire world. 

This means that Nico will only hear the stories of how there was once an animal called a rhino. 

This means that he will see them in pictures and be told that they aren't any more rhinos left.

This means that when he visits the zoo with his class, there will be no rhino exhibit. 

How many more species are we going to kill off before we realize that soon there will be no animals for the future generations to learn about or discover? 

How long before we learn to coexist with the animal kingdom for their benefit? 

Good bye White Rhinos! 

Let's not let this happen again.

World News Wednesday: Ebola

First of all, for those of you who don't know, Ebola is an infectious and generally fatal disease marked by fever and severe internal bleeding, spread through contact with infected body fluids by an Ebola virus, whose normal host species is unknown.

The disease has been a problem in West Africa for decades, but now that it has spread to our soil, it seems like we are finally giving this crisis the attention that it deserves. The US Government donated $750 million dollars to fund a 6 month mission to fight Ebola at a known source; coincidentally, West Africa. 

That's reassuring. 

Meanwhile, as the world continues its struggle to contain the epidemic, the CDC warns us that we have 60 days to get this under control. Read More. And if we don't, we are faced with a challenge that we are not prepared to handle.  

This was not meant to scare anyone!!

I just feel that it is important to stay informed in ordered calmly prepare ourselves, and as a reminder to be careful. I always recommend that if you are really paranoid about something, do some research about it. Fear can sometimes stem from not knowing what you are up against. 

Personally, I don't think we have anything to worry about. I know that we can get this under control, and I am grateful that people are taking it seriously. 

However, history is being made, yet again, during our life time.

We should be aware of that.

5 Rules of Resolving Conflicts

The most important thing to remember, is that they would not call it a problem if it didn't have a solution. Always be willing to try to fix it by talking about it together, with in the relationship and try to do it quickly. The longer you take to work it out, the more an issue escalates, the more likely you will be to bring an outside opinion in to a personal matter. 

Most problems within a relationship usually stems from selfishness, on one or both parts. Christians have an advantage because we are taught to be selfless, as everyone should be. Marriage is about dying to yourself to be able to focus solely on the needs of your spouse. When someone steps away from that, and starts looking at what they want that they are not getting, that is when conflict arises. We are able to ask God to intervene, to help us internally and externally remove any selfish thoughts, feelings, and actions. By praying together as a couple, we can listen to each other in a kind of "safe zone" where no ones is judgmental or hurtful, and we can expect that he will come to the rescue. 

But not everyone has that benefit because not everyone believes in God. 

The good news is that there are 4 simple rules to follow that almost guarantees a fair "battle"

1. Restrain Your Anger - Most people find this the most difficult, however it is the most important rule. Remember that anger is only a symptom of your underlying feelings; try to figure out what those might be. You could be feeling fearful, frustrated, tired/fatigued, or rejected; get to the root of that emotion and talk about why you might be feeling that way together. 

2. Take "Time-outs"- Even boxers get a few moments of rest between rounds, why should it be any different for you and your spouse? If you feel that uncontrollable anger rising inside you again, respectfully tell your opponent that you need to take a break. Set the problem aside for a couple of hours, but ALWAYS be ready to pick up right where you left off. Never leave a conflict unresolved. 

3. Do Not Curse & No Name Calling - There are times when you would swear that they said or did something just to push your buttons, which makes you want to throw things at them, or maybe "love tap" them with your car, and shout a colorful variety of obscenities. You know what I'm talking about. No matter what they did, never resort to using mean words because words hurt. They can cause your spouse to close themselves off to you emotionally with out even realizing it, or they can make you want to give up and abandon any further attempts of repair. When you use hurtful language, you are disrespecting your better half. Would you talk to your mother like that? I didn't think so. 

4. Resolve it Privately - By this I mean, don't argue in front of other people, especially your children. Kids have no way of knowing how serious an argument is, that makes them worry and sometimes, act out. When you argue in front of other adults, you are bound to receive advise that you neither want or need. Or worse, that other adult might take sides! Talk about an unfair fight. Keep it behind closed doors, unless you have reached a point where you absolutely need an outside, unbiased opinion.

5. Leave The Past Behind You - Though it is tempting to throw old problems and mistakes in the other person's face, it is important not to. I am not saying that you should forget about what they did and how it affected the relationship, but don't bring it up during a fresh new fight. It counts as hitting bellow the belt. If you solved it once, don't make it a problem again.

If you are still having trouble after following these rules, these bible verses might bring you some clarity, whether you are Christian or not: Isaiah 1:19 & 20, Romans 15:1-4, James 3:1 & 2, James 3:16, Isaiah 41: 1-4, Ephesians 4:31 & 32, and 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8

Good luck! Never give up!

When Parents Turn to Murder: Alexis

As many of you know, the month of October is Domestic Violence Awareness month. In order to raise awareness, this week I would like to tell the story of Alexis and her mother, Victoria.

Victoria was a victim of regular, brutal domestic dating violence. Her boyfriend, Freddy Mendez, would repeatedly beat her during arguments and force her to do ridiculous things for him. In one video she speaks about one of the instances of abuse where he punched her repeatedly in the face, threw her in the pool, dragged her out, punched her repeatedly again, shoved her into the closet, and then told her to go make him a sandwich.

One day, he began beating Alexis, Victoria's 3 year old daughter, and he did not stop until she was dead.

Victoria said she stood by holding her 7 month old son, yelling at Freddy, trying to get him to stop. When he finally did, she was left to "take care" of the lifeless little girl. 

Freddy was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole, and Victoria was sentenced to 35 years in prison for "allowing" the abuse, which escalated to murder. But after serving only 2 years, the judge decided to release her. Many people were appalled by his decision.

This country has made a habit of turning battered women into criminals for failing to protect their children in situations such as this one. Many of them face between 20 and 40 years of prison time. 

I believe that there is always something you can do to get your child out of danger. I would even go to the extreme of killing anyone who is physically threatening the life of my son.

But every woman is different. 

I don't think that a woman who lives in constant fear can be expected to make rational decisions, and I don't think that they should be considered in their right state of mind. Who knows how much head trauma they themselves have faced, who knows how much emotional and psychological abuse they have endured.  Many of them have been brainwashed in to thinking that they are worthless and powerless by men who are obviously crazy and manipulative. 

Everyone deserves a second chance. The judge's decision only means that Victoria can grieve her daughter, get her life back on track, seek the help she needs and try to focus on regaining custody of her son and providing him with a better life.

This does not mean that I excuse the child abuse.

Like I mentioned before, there are always ways to keep your baby safe. Leave them in the care of a trusted adult, teach them to call 911, encourage them to tell someone who you know will help, find a hiding place for them in the house that only you know about, physically defend them even if it means getting hurt yourself, or my personal favorite, get out and get help! 

Remember, these women are not alone!

 If you see children with multiple bruises, report it; better safe than sorry. If you hear your neighbors arguing a little too violently, report it. If you see a man (or woman) treating their partner or child harshly in public, report it. If you see a woman with multiple bruises, report it. 

In this world, we have to take care of each other. Together, we CAN...

Being Mixed in America: Payton's "Wrongful Birth"

Recently, I came across some news that I found troubling, but not for the reasons you might think. 

In Uniontown, Ohio Jennifer Cramblett and her wife, Amanda Zinkon, are suing a sperm bank on the grounds of "wrongful birth". Apparently, the sperm bank mixed up the sperm donors, and Cramblett was inseminated with the sperm of a black male instead of a white male, as the couple would have preferred. What was the result?

A beautiful little girl.

Payton.

 

What upsets me the most about this, is that the consequences of her parents actions will effect Payton for the rest of her life. 

Some of you might not know this, but I am half black, half Puerto Rican. Growing up as a mixed raced child can be confusing, like it was for me, if your parents are not prepared to embrace both sides of the culture that makes you who you are. In my case, I grew up in a single parent home, with my mother, a darker skinned Puerto Rican, and my older brother who's complexion is lighter than mine.

If you know anything about Puerto Rico, you would understand that Puerto Ricans come in all colors of the rainbow. Unfortunately, as much as people try to turn a blind eye towards it, racism is still present in America. At that time, in the late 90's and early 2000's, it was especially present among children. Of course most kids in my elementary school didn't know anything about Puerto Rico; you were either white, black, Hispanic, or Asian. Because of my darker complexion, I was classified as black. 

In those times kids divided themselves in to little groups based on who looked the most like them. When I moved to Raleigh, NC and started the second grade, of course I was eager to make new friends, but I quickly discovered that "fitting in" would be harder than I thought. I am introverted by nature, as a child I was kind of shy. I would sit back and observe my peers rather than express myself a loud. Some of the black kids took that as a sign of weakness and bullied me. Kids can be cruel. Because I was dark skinned and I spoke Spanish with an accent, I was excluded by the Hispanic kids as well. After a while, I started to hang out with the white kids, and though they did not reject me, I realized that I was treated a little differently when we were playing, or by some of their parents. 

I just could not understand why making friends was so difficult for me. 

Knowing all this, I feel nothing but pity for little Payton. Eventually she is going to ask her mothers why she doesn't look exactly like them and they are going to have to give her an answer. I can not, nor do I want to, imagine what their response is going to be. What is worse, is that there is a whole part of her identity that she will not have the chance to explore until she is older, unless her mothers make the effort to explain to her the importance of African American culture. I hope that things have changed, and that children will be more sensitive towards her in school, as many of them will probably be of mixed race as well. But the problem is that her mothers are treating her being of mixed race as a disadvantage. During an interview with NBC News Jennifer tearfully stated, "I don't find any problems with having a mixed-race child as far as I am concerned. Payton will understand it wasn't about, 'We didn't want you. We wanted a white baby.' That wasn't what it was about." 

But will she understand?

One day, she is going to find out that her mothers sued the sperm bank because they "faced adversity" due to the fact that she is half black. The lawsuit states that the family has experienced unnecessary "personal injuries, medical expenses, pain, suffering, emotional distress and other economic and non-economic issues, and will do so in the future. How will that make her feel? 

How would it make you feel?

It is 2014. 

By now we should have accepted the fact that nobody can help the way they look, no one gets to chose their skin color, and therefore no one should be persecuted, get special privileges, or be treated differently because of it. 

Stating it simply, race should no longer be a social issue.

We are all HUMAN.

Watch the news clip below and decide for yourself. 

Beautiful Revolution: Hong Kong

ITS TIME FOR A REVOLUTION!! 

At least some people have the courage to stand together peacefully and demand to be given rights they deserve! 

Isn't it a beautiful thing when youth comes together to do something positive to help their country!

  

I just can't believe that we are living in a time of monumental and radical historic events such as this one. 

  

Yes, this is history in the making, this is what we will tell our grandchildren, this is our world NOW!

When Parents Turn to Murder: Issy

When I began to read the article on The Daily Beast about a mother, Kelli Stapleton, who tried to kill her autistic daughter, Issy, my first thought was, how could any mom feel such strong feelings against their own child? Strong enough to want to murder them? Even in the most extreme case, I feel that the love that a mother has for her child is strong enough to overcome any desire to murder anyone for risk of losing that child. 

In this case, people were upset because Kelli was being understood by Dr. Phil as he interviewed her trying to gain perspective and insight. 

Issy Stapleton has autism, and her mother was feeling overwhelmed. She was at the end of her rope, but does that really excuse what she tried to do? No. 

I do not know what it is like to have a child with autism, because I have never gone through the experience. But I have know many people with autism. 

My first encounter was when I was in the 6th grade. There was a red headed boy named Carl, who was a little different from the other kids. I noticed that he did things differently, and he interacted differently. A lot of my friend made fun of him, or tried to avoid him, but I was curios and sympathetic. I talked to him and often sat at his table in class. As a result of that, my teacher would often place him with me during group activities because I was more sensitive to his condition (which I was unaware of at the time). It was not until we were doing a science experiment that involved a golf ball that I truly understood that he had a disability. We had a disagreement regarding the next steps that should be followed and he ended up throwing the golf ball at my hand. I was upset, but more than anything I was confused. Finally, the teacher pulled me aside and explained to me that Carl has autism and that he thinks differently than everyone else, because of that he dealt with things differently and sometimes irrationally when he did not know how to express himself. 

Later on in middle school, I met another kid with autism. Him name was Brandon. I was interested in him because he was cute and funny. Sure he was a little different, but the curious thing about Brandon was that I had no idea that he had autism until he actually told me. Which didn't really change how I felt about him. Of course I never said anything about my little crush because I was a shy kid, but we remained friends and still talk occasionally on Facebook to this day. 

My point is, the solution to autism is awareness. People fear and reject what they do not understand. I am not saying that Kelli was not doing the best that she could, but there is always another way to deal with a person in that situation. Sometimes, instead of trying to pull them into our world, we should try to step into theirs.

Also, don't try to kill your child! Never ever! If you feel overwhelmed, like you don't want to deal with them anymore, there are plenty of other things you can do. Adoption, foster care, leaving them with a responsible loving family member. All are much more SANE alternatives than trying to kill yourself and your kid.

You can watch part of the episode below and decide for yourself. 

How Students REALLY Feel About Group Presentations

 

For the love of GOD, if you are a professor and you are reading this, please please please please please STOP giving your students group projects. PLEASE!

Okay, maybe that is a little unreasonable. But it seems like for the past 4 years I have been forced to work with irresponsible and selfish people who either leave everything for the last minute, or who skip out on their part of the project only to leave me to finish all of the work. The funny thing, is that most professors do not care, and insist on making it a group grade anyway. 

First of all, if you are professor know this, WE PREFER TESTS!!!!! 

I understand that you get tired of lecturing the class. Sometimes you want to just sit back and watch a nice presentation, but it is NOT our job to teach our fellow classmates. Nor do they care about what one another has to say. They only care about their grade and how they are going to do when they stand up to present. If they are paying attention, 9 times out of 10 its due to common courtesy.

Now, because teachers and professors are probably NEVER going to stop with this, no matter how much we INSIST that we hate it, if you are in a group to do a presentation or project,  BE CONSIDERATE! 

Do not procrastinate of the your portion of the work. Why? Because, something could go wrong, you won't have time to fix it, and someone will have to fix it for you because they don't want you to drag their grade down. Do what you have to do, as soon as possible. We all are busy, we all have priorities and things that we need to get done. That being said, respect the time of your group members. It is not fair to thrust your responsibilities on someone who has responsibilities of their own.

When you leave your group hanging, they get stressed, overwhelmed, frustrated and angry. Which is completely understandable. We ALL know how hard it is because we are ALL going through it. Let's work TOGETHER, instead of for ourselves. 

People are counting on you.  

DO NOT LET THEM DOWN! 

A Perfect Marriage

When I walked in to the marriage seminar "Modern Family" hosted by Calvary Chapel Puerto Rico, taught by Pastor Dan Crespo, I had one question on my mind: Is it possible to have a perfect marriage? After almost five hours of note taking, what I learn was absolutely mind blowing.

The example that most of us have had tells us that the answer to this question is no. It seems like most of our generation's parents divorced (including mine) or never even got married in the first place; a good majority of us Millennials came from a single parent background. As I talk to my friends and listen to their thoughts and opinions, I have found that a lot of them do not believe in marriage and see no point in saying "I do" to legally and financially bind themselves to another person forever.

But, there is so much more to marriage than money and paperwork. There is something so gratifying and comforting in knowing that there is a person who will love and support you unconditionally. Marriage is about finding a partner who will trudge through difficult situations by your side, and who will also be there with you creating the best moments of your lives. It is about finding your best friend, a person who cannot live without, a life long companion. 

No marriage is perfect, but every marriage can be fulfilling in every possible way.

In order to achieve harmony and blissful joy we first have to understand the purpose of marriage (to be one with another) and the purpose of life (to be one with God). You don't believe me, read Genesis 2:23-24, and John 14:1-4. You see, by focusing on pleasing God, we will ultimately please each other and our selves. 

What does it mean "to be one with God"? Read John 17:20-21, Ephesians 13-14 & 2:10-13, Colossians 1:27, and Philipians 3:10-11. As you can see, it is really a lot more simple than people think. The answer is Jesus. In order to be one with God, we must accept that Jesus is God in the flesh, that he was punished and died for our sins, and that he rose from the grave proving that he can conquer anything, even the inevitability of death. To be one with God, we must take up our cross everyday and live with Jesus as our example, trying to be like him in every aspect of our daily lives.

Now you're probably wondering, what does it mean "to be one with each other"? This is where things get a little bit more complicated. Our society tells us that we should worry about making ourselves happy and then worry about others, but in order to become one with someone else we must die to our self. That means that all instead of thinking about what is best for you, you should constantly  and consistently be thinking about what is best for your spouse. Worry about their comfort, their troubles, and their well being. 

This can be a lot more complicated than it sounds, so to help guide us through the challenge of letting go of our autonomy, here are 5 things you need to know that are absolutely essential to achieving oneness with your spouse.

1. Spiritual Companionship.

• Pray together
• This is the most important thing a couple should do! By praying together not only do you grow closer to God as a team, you learn about one another. Listen to what your partner is praying about so that you can understand each others soul and inner most desires. 
• Read the bible together
• Not only is reading to each other incredibly romantic, it will help you both learn about Jesus and grow spiritually by applying what you learn to everyday situations.
• Talk about your thoughts and beliefs about God and His Kingdom, without judging each other, without laughing, and without getting angry about what the other has to say. 

2. Sexual Companionship

• Believe it or not, God actually wants us to be sexually fulfilled (Read Genesis 1:28) 
• That means you must have sex unselfishly and you must never deny sex to your spouse (Read 1 Corinthians 3-5) 
• Talk to each other and be honest about your sexual needs, then reach a compromise, but never assume that your sex life is "good enough". Make sure that BOTH of you are completely satisfied.
• Make out! Remember those times when you couldn't keep your hands off of each other and rekindle that passion! 

3. Emotional Companionship

• This might be difficult, but talk about what makes you happy, angry, and sad, and why. It is vital to know what makes your partner tick, so that you know which buttons to press, and which not to. 
• If you or your spouse finds this impossible it is probably because one of you has a hard heart. There is a conflict that was left unresolved and now you are left feeling hurt, angry, resentful, or bitter. If you continue on with that unresolved problem this is the cycle that you will eventually find yourself falling into: hurt ---> anger ---> resentment ---> bitterness ---> divorce. My advice if you are feeling any of these things is, talk to your spouse and find a way to deal with it and overcome it together!
• Make every single decision together!  Not matter how big, or how small, the more things you confront and deal with together the better.
• Laugh and cry together.
• Read 2 Corinthians 2:4. You should feel for each other the way that Paul feels for the Corinthians. He cries for them and rejoices with them I'm sure, but he passionately admits to them when he is feeling emotional. It should not embarass you because if you can't cry in front of your best friend then who can you really count on?

 4. Parental Companionship

• Be on the same page when it comes to your kids. How many you want, what kind of education they will receive, how you will discipline them, etc., and reach a compromise. It is best to have this conversation a few times before you get married just to be sure. 
• If you did not have this conversation before you got married and reach a point where you cannot agree on something, get a second objective opinion (a mediator) and talk about it until you find a solution. 
• Be 100 percent honest with each other about your expectations and desires for your children. 

5. Recreational Companionship

• Last but not least by far, HAVE FUN TOGETHER!
• Find a common hobby, watch TV together, read to each other; find something to do, anything just do it together! 
• Have a date night at least once a week
• Take little trips together ALONE. Even if it is just spending the night in a hotel room every six months, you will appreciate that special time with each other. 

The most important thing is to enjoy each other. Remember all the reason why you got married, write them down and look at them every day if you have to. But never forget that you married that person because at some point you thought to yourself "wow, I can't live without him/her". 

World News Wednesday : Syria

It is important for the young people of our country to know what is happening in the world around us. Many of us are too focused on silly lighthearted news that does not have any impact on the overall culture of our society. Though that type of news can be nice to hear from time to time, I feel that we are all a part of the human race, after all, we should know what goes on where so that we learn how to help each other, and how to coexist. 

This week I wanted to bring some light to the on-going conflicts in Syria. I am not a very political person, I tend to lean more towards ethics and morality. To me, it is important that every human on the planet, especially the children, has what they need to make their life more enjoyable and more simple. Of course, we all know that any kind of war would make that impossible for some people in the countries involved. This week, air strikes have been launched in Syria, further destroying the lives of millions of displaced Syrians (Video: Official News Report on the Airstrikes ). People who have watched their homes bombed and burned to the ground, families that have been separated, kids who have been orphaned; they all continue to watch in horror wondering when their suffering will end.  

Video: The Aftermath of a Small Syrian Village

Food for Thought:

• If you could do ONE thing to change the life of a Syrian, or to change the pattern of violence that has swept across their nation, what would you do? 
• Put yourself in the shoes of a Syrian for just a few minutes today, try to imagine what our brothers and sisters are feeling just on the other side of Earth.