“Xavier dared me to do it!” A 3rd -grade MYC Club member had stolen a teacher's glasses and had taken them to the bathroom, where they were stepped on and left broken on the floor. This was his excuse when we confronted him. He wasn't even angry with the teacher; it was all about a dare.
“You can't kick me out; I've been in Club longer than you!” This bit of twisted logic was from a teenage boy who was being suspended from Club for insubordination. In his mind, the fact that he had been involved at MYC for years prevented him from having to accept responsibility for his actions.
“My mama says if someone puts their hand on me, I have to hit them!” This classic was from a 2nd grade boy who had wanted to wrestle with one of our teenage volunteers. When the older boy playfully wrestled with him, the little boy slugged him with a fist. Yet he still asks our staff to spin him around or wrestle and refuses to see that we don't do this with him anymore because of his lack of self control.
We can come up with an excuse for anything. Lame attempts to deny responsibility for our choices began with, “The woman you made for me gave me the fruit,” and has continued through, “I inherited this bad economy!” and beyond. The “disappearing dads” of our single-parent kids give the kids excuses instead of support or protection. This refusal to accept responsibility is a major reason that the kids with whom we serve at MYC are at risk. The examples our kids see of blaming others instead of claiming ownership for actions come in a continuous stream from celebrities, government leaders, and even parents. Kid logic sounds funny in a story, but it is scary when so many adults who influence our kids never grow out of using it.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Monday, March 1, 2010
Birds Versus Evolution
Birds Versus Evolution
This month Debbie and I took a van full of MYC Club kids to Reelfoot Lake for our annual trip to see the “Save Our American Raptors” program. Reelfoot Lake is winter home for bald eagles and lots of other birds. At the Raptor program, the kids get to see hawks, owls, vultures, and eagles up close, and get to experience many of the birds flying so low over their heads that they feel the wind in their hair.
As each bird is introduced, the presenters tell and show us some amazing abilities that point us to an amazing creator. For example, an owl which can pinpoint the location of a mouse over a hundred yards away without even seeing it. The owl knows to turn it's head from side to side so that it can hear the mouse in each ear separately. Then it triangulates the exact location of the mouse by the sound in each ear and silently swoops in for a furry snack. Now I have to ask: How could this skill possibly have evolved? How could this species of owl have found food before it evolved to have this ability? Does the mama owl teach the babies how to do the geometry and calculate the distance to dinner? Of course not! The first owl must have been created with this instinct, and so there must be a Creator.
The black vulture was amazing, too. After laughing at it as it ran around the room between us, we learned about it's unique and disgusting defensive skill. The vulture uses projectile vomit to protect itself from danger while on the ground. I couldn't talk any of the kids into rushing at the vulture so it could demonstrate vulture vomit. No other creature apparently enjoys this either, so the vulture is protected while it dines on dead bodies. Again, I have to ask: How did the vulture protect itself before it evolved or discovered to ability to projectile vomit? Did one decide that it was tired of flying away from dinner whenever a predator approached and instead try to be so gross that nothing else would dare to approach? Of course not! Like the owl, the first vulture must have been created with this instinct. If this skill could have evolved, I'll bet that middle school boys would be enjoying this skill by now. The only logical conclusion is that there must be an amazing, wise, powerful Creator. To come up with the vulture, our Creator must also have a sense of humor!
This month Debbie and I took a van full of MYC Club kids to Reelfoot Lake for our annual trip to see the “Save Our American Raptors” program. Reelfoot Lake is winter home for bald eagles and lots of other birds. At the Raptor program, the kids get to see hawks, owls, vultures, and eagles up close, and get to experience many of the birds flying so low over their heads that they feel the wind in their hair.
As each bird is introduced, the presenters tell and show us some amazing abilities that point us to an amazing creator. For example, an owl which can pinpoint the location of a mouse over a hundred yards away without even seeing it. The owl knows to turn it's head from side to side so that it can hear the mouse in each ear separately. Then it triangulates the exact location of the mouse by the sound in each ear and silently swoops in for a furry snack. Now I have to ask: How could this skill possibly have evolved? How could this species of owl have found food before it evolved to have this ability? Does the mama owl teach the babies how to do the geometry and calculate the distance to dinner? Of course not! The first owl must have been created with this instinct, and so there must be a Creator.
The black vulture was amazing, too. After laughing at it as it ran around the room between us, we learned about it's unique and disgusting defensive skill. The vulture uses projectile vomit to protect itself from danger while on the ground. I couldn't talk any of the kids into rushing at the vulture so it could demonstrate vulture vomit. No other creature apparently enjoys this either, so the vulture is protected while it dines on dead bodies. Again, I have to ask: How did the vulture protect itself before it evolved or discovered to ability to projectile vomit? Did one decide that it was tired of flying away from dinner whenever a predator approached and instead try to be so gross that nothing else would dare to approach? Of course not! Like the owl, the first vulture must have been created with this instinct. If this skill could have evolved, I'll bet that middle school boys would be enjoying this skill by now. The only logical conclusion is that there must be an amazing, wise, powerful Creator. To come up with the vulture, our Creator must also have a sense of humor!
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