Archive for year: 2024

Author: Lexi Mitchell | Student, Living Education – Charlotte, 2023-24

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Can we really believe everything we’re told?

Mr. Michael Brown spoke to the students about a topic that impacts modern thinking, although it can be so subtle that it can easily go unnoticed even by those looking for it. His topic was on the concept of communism, and how it seeps into modern thinking to this day. At its peak, the goal of communist leaders like Vladimir Lenin in 1917 was ultimately to change the mindsets of a society, rather than the people’s physical lives. It waged a war that was not fought with physical weapons, but rather with the weapons of words. 

This very same war is being fought in our daily lives, though we may not immediately notice it. These same communist values have shown themselves through the modern radical left. Hollywood, as well as other similar media institutions, have sown seeds of mental warfare. It is fully overrun by individuals who manipulate the media, villainize people with true moral values, sabotage education, attack the family, and destroy the economy.

There is only one goal: outlaw the Bible, God, and the truth.

Mr. Brown explained to the students that ideologies like this have us getting thrown out of meeting halls, and TV stations, because we disagree with their points strongly. For example,  Communism hates families. It may be surprising, but the Communist Manifesto says so explicitly. Communists also disagree about the proper roles of individuals in society. Additionally, it teaches that many concepts that we believe in passionately, like religion, tradition, and morality, must be abolished. 

It may seem archaic to say that communism exists in the western world, but it is incredibly pervasive. In our modern day, the communist mindset is more than just a set of ideals by hopeful enthusiasts. It is incredibly intentional and widespread, and goes directly according to what’s taught in the Communist Manifesto. After all, it is the third most assigned textbook in universities today.

Don’t immediately believe everything you hear. 

“The first one to plead his cause seems right,

Until his neighbor comes and examines him.” Prov 18:17

The people behind what we watch and hear have an agenda to push. We are warned in the Bible to avoid the dangerous mindsets of the world, and to do so, we must avoid the trap of immediately believing everything we hear or see. We must be diligent to examine everything, because the people who create entertainment for the general public are masters of their craft. They know exactly what they’re doing, and are fully aware of the messages they’re subtly pushing in the works they produce. In addition, even in media where the messages are intentionally blatant, their works can be written in a way that is very convincing, and can even include legitimate facts.

A major point to consider when indulging in any form of media is that modern media creators weaponize words. They do so by using harsh and angry language, and by omitting major facts from their arguments and messages. These omitted facts can change the viewer’s opinion on what they’re taking in, and often, this result is highly undesirable to the person that made it. 

Therefore, we must be careful to consider the language that is used in entertainment. In addition, people with this communist mindset rarely say what their core goal is outright. We should immediately ask ourselves if we are witnessing another instance of words being weaponized, and work diligently to avoid falling into their traps.

Be cautious of the world’s entertainment. 

It is unlikely that we fully comprehend Hollywood’s sway, because its purpose is not entirely to entertain. Rather, Hollywood and other similar industries use entertainment to be the biggest propaganda tool in the world. The way it does this is by swaying our morals. Often, movies do not teach the righteous morals outlined in the Bible. For example, the Bible teaches that obedience to God’s way provides blessings, and the opposite leads to cursings, but movies often disagree with this idea directly. 

Instead, they make us form emotional attachments to fictional characters with their own messages. Once this happens, it makes us question our morals in order to cheer for the ‘right people’. From the entertainment industry’s earliest onset, this fact was used as a tool to sway our morals and emotions. With time, they have only become more effective and subtle. 

There is mass confusion on the difference between good and evil

“But solid food belongs to those who are of full age,

That is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised

to discern both good and evil.” Heb 5:14

When we watch things, we must earnestly be aware of what we’re seeing and be vigilant to notice what might be wrong with it. We must work earnestly to develop a foundation so strong that we can truly identify what’s good and what’s evil. By having this stability of heart, we will be able to arm ourselves against this fierce war, and find safety in God and His way of thinking.

Lexi Mitchell is a first-year student in the Living Education-Charlotte Program. She is from Long Island, New York. At home, she worked as a lifeguard and a swim instructor. Currently, she assists in the Living Education department as a social media manager and as a producer of written content. She enjoys reading, cooking, exercising, and spending time with family.

Author: Lexi Mitchell | Student, Living Education – Charlotte, 2023-24

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Strengths. Weaknesses. Opportunity. Success. 

The students were intrigued to hear from Dr. John Cole, a very successful businessman, because in this forum, he highlighted several ways to become successful in the workplace. 

The first piece of advice he imparted upon the students was simple, but it makes an incredible difference in the process of job hunting. He suggested that we research our career and our potential place of employment before we go for it. This research can start as simple as a Google search, but he recommended that we aim for more depth from reputable sources. 

The reason that we should study our career paths is to make sure that it is right for us, because oftentimes, we go for roles solely for the money we can earn and not because we would be good at the job itself.

Look at the Mindset

Another important factor to consider is an organization’s mindset. But how do we learn what it is? The answer can be discovered by looking at what they are involved in. Look for common agreements in ourselves and in them. 

Another smart idea is to observe the competing businesses to see how your target company is positioned in the market. For higher paying jobs, they’re spending quite a bit of money on you when they pay you. Because of this, they undoubtedly make sure to research you by doing extensive and pricey background checks. This makes it necessary to keep your record clean and establish credibility, both online and in previous workplaces. Apprenticeships are great ways to gain industry credibility. They can be free or paid, and you can learn on the job from experts in the field. They often offer knowledge that you can’t gain anywhere else. 

First Impressions

You never get a second chance to make a first impression. Make sure to have a professional critique your resume to make sure there’s nothing you need to fix, or even worse, something detrimental. Additionally, sometimes the problems present in resumes is not what is presented, it is how it’s presented. This makes it critical to write resumes carefully and intentionally, so that you start off on the right foot with your future employer. 

Also, make sure to get at least three letters of recommendation, and make sure the people you ask are credible. Ensure that they address the letter “to whom it may concern” rather than a specific name, so that you can reuse the letter as many times as necessary.

Another often overlooked method of establishing a first impression are our records. Our credit rating,  criminal history, driving record, insurance records, and a plethora of other things, can be used to establish a first impression. They can be used to determine our level of responsibility, so by staying vigilant now we can do our future self a favor. 

You remember me, I remember you.

It is critical to learn to put yourself out there. By going to job fairs and other places where professionals can be found, you can easily develop associations with very important people. Show them a human side of you, so that if you apply for a job from them at some point, they can  see past the pen on paper information and look at the real you instead.

Even if we are able to do the job in theory, if it is not right for us as individuals, the lack of enthusiasm will be noticeable. Unfortunately, this is all too common. To stand out, we should try to tell a story. Through our personal story, the company will be able to recognize our unique abilities, and select us for roles compared to people who have no outstanding qualities.  Use the mindset “What can I do for this company?” instead of “What can they do for me?”. We must show some differentiation from others through our storytelling. 

Power of Prayer

Finally, Dr. Cole reminded the students to make sure to pray before doing something, but also know to do their part too. It is amazing the difference that prayer can make. It is also important to let people know what your problems are so that they can pray for you too. And remember that the answer to a prayer can be ‘no’. So don’t feel bad about rejection from a job, because this could very likely be the best course of action for us. Ask and pray, “If this job goes against God’s will, please close that door.” By remaining humble, relying on God, and doing our absolute best in what we do, success is something all of us have the potential to achieve.

Lexi Mitchell is a first-year student in the Living Education-Charlotte Program. She is from Long Island, New York. At home, she worked as a lifeguard and a swim instructor. Currently, she assists in the Living Education department as a social media manager and as a producer of written content. She enjoys reading, cooking, exercising, and spending time with family.

Author: Lexi Mitchell | Student, Living Education – Charlotte, 2023-24

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Choice is a feature of life. 

Mr. Peter Nathan asked the students to consider the typical event of going to the grocery store. In it, shelves are lined with countless options. For a customer who lacks a clear idea of what they are looking for, the options can be quite overwhelming. 

But for those who know what they are looking for, the other options fade away, and the item desired clearly stands out. A reason that stores offer so many options is designed to prey on the customers without clear direction. Simply put, choice is marketing. 

“I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live” Deut 30:19 

The concept of choice can be seen in the Garden of Eden. In the second chapter of Genesis, God provides Adam with two options. When shown the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, he was told not to eat it lest they surely die. Ultimately, however, mankind had the ability to choose for themselves whether or not they’d consume the fruit. They were to choose between two paths of life, and they chose the wrong one.

In modern life, there are two overarching options for life as well. 

The first way is the way of life based on the philosophy of the Greeks, like Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. 

According to man, wisdom is defined as the ability to discern inner qualities and relationships. This is the basis of philosophy, also known as rational understanding. Its aim is to try to see what is happening around us. It is strictly based on the human mind, and it seeks to establish universal principles.

An example of this is Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs diagram. In this diagram, he states that the most fundamental needs of man, from most basic to most advanced, are physiological security, safety, love and belonging, esteem, and self- actualization.

Maslow believed that the human mind needs to ascend that hierarchical level to reach man’s fullest potential. There are several problems with this method of thinking. First, the focus is on the self and trying to rise up in that hierarchy based on one’s own power. Secondly, the divine being has no part in us. This demonstrates a way of life that completely abandons the need of God to guide us. It relies on the idea that the human mind is capable of solving man’s problems without further assistance. With philosophy, there is the desire and hope for a world without any form of spirit or even God. 

The other path of life is based on the Bible and the revelation of God.

The way of life in which we are called is the way presented in scripture. In this way of living, faith is critical. It creates loving dependence on our Creator, and in turn, we receive the full blessing of God’s love onto us. This is an extreme blessing, because God’s love creates value in us where value never was.

The Bible tells us to humble ourselves under the mighty arm of God, and cast all our cares upon Him. Therefore, God’s spirit should be existent in our lives.

The humanistic approach, as demonstrated by human philosophers like Maslow, goes against everything we have been instructed by God. We are told to trust in Him, and that our own human strength is insufficient (Proverbs 3:5). Why, then, should we try to make it enough?

God should be at the very center of our lives!

However, just knowing these truths is not enough. How do we actually apply what God said and make these decisions? The key is to cast all our cares to the Eternal. God has to be at the center of everything in our lives, and if He is, He will guide us. That requires that we avoid allowing ourselves to be the focus.

“But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven,

where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  Matt 6:20-33

We must ask ourselves the simple but critical question- do we want God or ourselves to make our decisions? If we do, we must use the spirit to direct us.

By trusting God with our decisions, this will give us Godly peace in our minds. After achieving this peace of mind, the rest of our physical needs will be added by God. This should be our main aim and goal, as that is our primary goal on this earth.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

For they shall be filled.” Matt 5:6

Satan wants to give us a selection of things to choose from, but God has directed us to the choice we must make. We should decide to follow Him before Satan gives us his selection of items, so that those other options don’t phase us.

Choose well. Choose life.

Lexi Mitchell is a first-year student in the Living Education-Charlotte Program. She is from Long Island, New York. At home, she worked as a lifeguard and a swim instructor. Currently, she assists in the Living Education department as a social media manager and as a producer of written content. She enjoys reading, cooking, exercising, and spending time with family.

Author: Lexi Mitchell | Student, Living Education – Charlotte, 2023-24

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“What am I good at? What talents do I have?”

Some people are good at archery, while others are better at surfing. Many are highly talented at drawing, while others tend to excel at photography.

But some of us may not feel like we have any of these talents, or any skill in general. 

Mr. Hall began his forum with these thought provoking comments. We may see skilled people and wonder what we’re good at. If we compare ourselves to them and decide we don’t match their level, we can become discouraged. A lot of people feel like they’ve been ‘left behind the door’ and like they have no use, talent or purpose.

This idea, however, is simply untrue.

“So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Do business till I come.’” Luke 19:13

Although we may not have the same talents other people have, we are all blessed with something we are able to do. God will sometimes give just a little, but what matters to Him is what we do with it. 

The reason for this seeming disparity in talent distribution is simple: God knows us better than anybody. He sees long into the future, and has plans for us far beyond our level of comprehension. He will never give us more than we can handle. So even if we don’t have skill in certain areas, and although we may feel jealousy that people may have skills we want, God will bless us with talent according to what we’re able to work with. 

In addition, Mr. Hall explained that when we do well with what we are given, we will be given more. For example, in the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14–30), the amount of money the servants were given was an extremely high amount for that day, around 20 years’ wages for a laborer, and what they did with that money impacted what they were given as a reward. Similarly, if we take our personal talent seriously, God will allow it to grow and bless us further.

Our talents are a blessing from God.

Simply put, the talents we were given were divinely inspired. Just because God gave them to us doesn’t mean we can’t improve on them, however. In fact, the opposite is true. They can grow based on how much we use them, and we are to use God’s blessings in the fullest way we possibly can. 

Whenever we use our talent, it grows and matures. Through this growth process, a small measure of skill can grow into something so wonderful we could never have dreamed of.

“For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you,

not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, 

but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” Rom 12:3

We have each been given an individualized measure of faith. We are precious in God’s sight  and have unique abilities within the body of the church. We are to do what we can where we can, because our talents are a unique gift to us. The talent we were all given is the Holy Spirit. Even if we are not baptized, the Spirit is still with us and working with us. 

“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers…” Eph 4:11

Strengthening our own skills not only improves our lives, it can improve the lives of those around us as well. It will go towards helping others develop their own skills. We are not just inspiring ourselves, we are inspiring others through our behaviors. That is doing our share in the body of Christ. 

We are also learning to be leaders. If we can be faithful with the small talents and groups of people we are with now, with God’s spirit we can grow with one another by growing and giving. The love inside our hearts is a talent we all can grow, and we might be surprised by just how much it multiplies. 

Lexi Mitchell is a first-year student in the Living Education-Charlotte Program. She is from Long Island, New York. At home, she worked as a lifeguard and a swim instructor. Currently, she assists in the Living Education department as a social media manager and as a producer of written content. She enjoys reading, cooking, exercising, and spending time with family.