july youth article - kindness (prepared by chermayne)
5th July 2008
On this Saturday, we started our journey on another Fruit of the Spirit, kindness.
Uncle Charles said that kindness is to take action in filling up another's needs. If you do, the person would feel a sense of worth and value. You'd be providing hope. He defined it as "Power to meet one's needs". Kindness has the power to change one's life... or even the world!
We then watched a short clip taken from a movie. It was about a teacher who came into class asking his students what the world meant to them and how often they thought of the outside world. He then asked " What do you think the world expects from you? ". One of his students answered by saying " Nothing i guess... we're just kids. ". The teacher then gives them an assignment to think of ideas of how to change the world and put it to action. The class started to complain that it would be hard and pretty crazy. But the teacher replies, " It may be hard and crazy... but possible. ".
After the clip Uncle Charles introduced to us steps in doing that "assignment" given:
1. Put yourself in someone else's shoes.
That way, you would see the world in a different way.
2. Do not expect anything in return.
Our reward would be great in heaven.
3. Be willing to give up your convenience.
Get out of your comfort zone!
4. Remember there were people who were kind to you.
It would help you want to be kind too.
12th July 2008
The topic on today’s sharing was something quite different. We talked about self-centeredness which Josiah defines as, “The opposite of kindness”. He told us that all of us are self-centered simply because we aren’t perfect and that we are all sinners. It is all part of our sinful nature. Another reason for why we may be self-centered is because this world is like a competition of the survivor of the fittest. People are worried that if they give to others, they would be taken granted for or there wouldn’t be enough for themselves. Therefore, it is really hard to follow God’s will. But, if we live by the Spirit, it would be much easier; we would develop the fruit of kindness. Obviously, we cannot be exactly like Jesus, but it would help a lot if we are a lot more like Him and walk closer with Him. In Josiah’s words, we should all learn to be “others-centered” even though it is a tough world we live in.
19th July 2008
For today’s youth, we had it in the afternoon because we wanted a combined service with the Girls and Boys Brigade. The message that Uncle Charles brought to us was a short one on “Attitude”. He told us that we all had a choice of what attitude we want to be in. If you choose to be sad and gloomy, you can be sad and gloomy. But what benefit does it bring to you or others around you? Therefore, trying to be in a positive attitude is better.
Uncle Charles then gave us steps to help us develop a better attitude:
Start speaking positive words.
Always try to look for something good.
Beware of what is in your heart and mind.
26th July 2008
Today’s youth was a little special. We watched a show called “Pay It Forward”.
It started with a guy being held hostage by a kidnapper. A reporter then decided to go and find out what had happened. The kidnapper, trying to escape, drove a car out of the house and crashed into the reporter’s car. A guy then came up to the reporter, gave him his keys to his expensive, new car, and drove the reporter’s crashed car away. The man showed an act of extreme kindness.
The show then wound back to 4 months before this incident.
A new Social Studies teacher walks into a class full of Middle School children. He then asks a questions like, “What does the world mean to you?” “What can you do for the world?” After some ‘low self-esteem’ answers, the teacher picked up a chalk and wrote on the blackboard, “Think of an idea of how to change the world and put it into action.”
A certain boy named Trevor then decides to perform an act of kindness and invites a beggar to stay at his house. He then tells the beggar to pay it forward. The beggar paid it forward to someone else; the ‘someone’ else pays it forward to another person, etc.
So imagine if one tells another to pay it forward after an act of kindness, how quickly kindness would spread; which was exactly what happened in the show. Soon, everyone was acting kind towards each other. Trevor was then interviewed on his idea about paying it forward.
The story though, had a sad ending. Trevor was accidentally stabbed while trying to protect a boy from bullies. His interview was screened on TVs. Many people then stood outside his house with candles and flowers to pay their respects for the one who decided that he could change the world by performing one act of kindness and asking for it to be paid forward.
On this Saturday, we started our journey on another Fruit of the Spirit, kindness.
Uncle Charles said that kindness is to take action in filling up another's needs. If you do, the person would feel a sense of worth and value. You'd be providing hope. He defined it as "Power to meet one's needs". Kindness has the power to change one's life... or even the world!
We then watched a short clip taken from a movie. It was about a teacher who came into class asking his students what the world meant to them and how often they thought of the outside world. He then asked " What do you think the world expects from you? ". One of his students answered by saying " Nothing i guess... we're just kids. ". The teacher then gives them an assignment to think of ideas of how to change the world and put it to action. The class started to complain that it would be hard and pretty crazy. But the teacher replies, " It may be hard and crazy... but possible. ".
After the clip Uncle Charles introduced to us steps in doing that "assignment" given:
1. Put yourself in someone else's shoes.
That way, you would see the world in a different way.
2. Do not expect anything in return.
Our reward would be great in heaven.
3. Be willing to give up your convenience.
Get out of your comfort zone!
4. Remember there were people who were kind to you.
It would help you want to be kind too.
12th July 2008
The topic on today’s sharing was something quite different. We talked about self-centeredness which Josiah defines as, “The opposite of kindness”. He told us that all of us are self-centered simply because we aren’t perfect and that we are all sinners. It is all part of our sinful nature. Another reason for why we may be self-centered is because this world is like a competition of the survivor of the fittest. People are worried that if they give to others, they would be taken granted for or there wouldn’t be enough for themselves. Therefore, it is really hard to follow God’s will. But, if we live by the Spirit, it would be much easier; we would develop the fruit of kindness. Obviously, we cannot be exactly like Jesus, but it would help a lot if we are a lot more like Him and walk closer with Him. In Josiah’s words, we should all learn to be “others-centered” even though it is a tough world we live in.
19th July 2008
For today’s youth, we had it in the afternoon because we wanted a combined service with the Girls and Boys Brigade. The message that Uncle Charles brought to us was a short one on “Attitude”. He told us that we all had a choice of what attitude we want to be in. If you choose to be sad and gloomy, you can be sad and gloomy. But what benefit does it bring to you or others around you? Therefore, trying to be in a positive attitude is better.
Uncle Charles then gave us steps to help us develop a better attitude:
Start speaking positive words.
Always try to look for something good.
Beware of what is in your heart and mind.
26th July 2008
Today’s youth was a little special. We watched a show called “Pay It Forward”.
It started with a guy being held hostage by a kidnapper. A reporter then decided to go and find out what had happened. The kidnapper, trying to escape, drove a car out of the house and crashed into the reporter’s car. A guy then came up to the reporter, gave him his keys to his expensive, new car, and drove the reporter’s crashed car away. The man showed an act of extreme kindness.
The show then wound back to 4 months before this incident.
A new Social Studies teacher walks into a class full of Middle School children. He then asks a questions like, “What does the world mean to you?” “What can you do for the world?” After some ‘low self-esteem’ answers, the teacher picked up a chalk and wrote on the blackboard, “Think of an idea of how to change the world and put it into action.”
A certain boy named Trevor then decides to perform an act of kindness and invites a beggar to stay at his house. He then tells the beggar to pay it forward. The beggar paid it forward to someone else; the ‘someone’ else pays it forward to another person, etc.
So imagine if one tells another to pay it forward after an act of kindness, how quickly kindness would spread; which was exactly what happened in the show. Soon, everyone was acting kind towards each other. Trevor was then interviewed on his idea about paying it forward.
The story though, had a sad ending. Trevor was accidentally stabbed while trying to protect a boy from bullies. His interview was screened on TVs. Many people then stood outside his house with candles and flowers to pay their respects for the one who decided that he could change the world by performing one act of kindness and asking for it to be paid forward.
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on Saturday, August 2, 2008 at 11:21 PM.
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