Two Gifts

God gives us two gifts when we are born:  Talents and weaknesses.

You may think the latter is not a gift, but I think it may be the most valuable because it will hold the key to your success.

Talents come in many ways.  You could have speed as a runner, you could solve math problems quickly, you could be good at remembering facts, and on and on.  Many people go through life dismissing their talents, or pursuing talents that are not suited for achieving a level of wealth to support their desires and families.  Now I am not saying that talents are all about making money, but it is kind of important.  Using your talents to obtain money to live on is no sin.  So, what I am saying in a nutshell is that you need to identify your talents early, hone them, and then leverage them to produce successful ventures that will bear fruit.

Weaknesses on the other hand our gifts as well, in the sense that overcoming them is just as rewarding as developing your talents.  And likewise it is very important to discover them early and do all you can to minimize their effects to ruin your life.  For example, a person with an addictive personality, whereby they become intoxicated frequently, etc. needs to identify this weakness and seek help quickly.  Recognizing ones upbringing can be important in identifying these possible traits.  A home with addiction for example tends to breed addiction, most likely from genetic standpoint.  Overcoming weaknesses like talent needs constant pruning and attention.

And so I plan on expanding my talents and controlling my weaknesses.

This may be my last post for some time.  For anyone that has been paying attention to any of this, be assured, I am doing well and with my own self determination and God's Grace I hope to continue to honor God, by doing good works to benefit my fellow man.

It is May 31st...

Today is the day, I once again commit myself to being a better husband, better father, better colleague, a better teacher, and a better Christian.

I have staked a landmark on this date.

Mind.... body... spirit...

Templar Truth

The road to the promised land always goes through enemy territory.

New Year

It is a the eve of a new year, and it is always important to reflect on your year.

Here are my initial thoughts. This year brought wonderous things, and yet has me stretched thin. Thin to a point of breaking I feel.

But I shall carry on... forge ahead, because the projects I am involved in are good ones.

I am committed to the following:

Making a better effort to help around the house.

Work on being a better listener, especially to my wife.

Work on avoiding gossip and petty politics at all costs, and being brave enough to voice my opinion when needed.

Being a better father by taking time each day to help and spend time with my daughters.

Doing the right thing....

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Templars

Have been attending a training on Covey's 7 habits. Habit two is about setting goals to improve areas in your life. One of mine is to become a better father and husband. A Templar Man's goal indeed

Amazing Grace

I never quite understood the words to the song, "Amazing Grace"... but now I know.

I was lost but now I'm found...

I think the answers we need to find for redemption lie beyond ourselves.

Feels good to be home

Knight on Knight

My favorite tales as a child were those of King Arthur and the knights of the Roundtable. How noble, how powerful, and timeless. I read Morte De Arthur, The Once and Future King, and numerous other versions of the famed tales.

In my last year of teaching in a public school, I had the students read a new version of the King Arthur Story. I won't go into the details of the label, but suffice it to say the book was boring and sucked the life out of the story. Why? Well, in our age of political correctness and of not making judgments of any kind, the story was nothing more than a fable of some guys just playing pretend. Was there talk of infidelity? Nope. Any mention of Galahad and the Holy Grail? Nope. Merlin and his wisdom? Nope. Left out and gone. Of the notion of the Roundtable? Only cursory.

How sad, how truly unbelievably, sad. For it is in the tales of Lancelot, Guinevere, Galahad, Arthur, Merlin, and their successes, failures, and human frailty, that we pull away lessons that can give us guidance and hope. It is also about a model for leadership.

As I have created an identity for Templar Man, the stories of King Arthur and his Knights of the Roundtable have come back to me. Is there something for me? 21st Century man? Undeniably yes. Are there some valuable lessons for kids in the King Arthur stories. YES... let's not wash them aside my fellow adults and educators. They are not to be wasted, rubbed away as if they didn't exist. As if the message is as old as the stories.

So in a nutshell... Lessons I learned from King Arthur Stories.

1. Male Bonding- Yes males bond in a unique and different way than females... one is not better or worse per se, but when males have a direction, a focus, and a belief, men can be inspired to greatness. Men are by nature aggressive, and as Psychologist Michael Gurian argues, if males do not harness there aggression in positive ways, they will channel it in negative ways. Boys need to be taught the tools for channeling their aggressive impulses. Sports is often that training ground. If they don't have sports or a competent coach, they can often fall into the trap of violent gang culture or other inappropriate outlets.

2. Male chivalry- Ok so this one is probably on its way out, but the reason's why are totally wrong headed. I learned chivalry from my father. To him, opening a door for a woman was always required. When a woman comes to a table during a dinner conversation, all men must stand. Ok... so the fallout from the women's rights movement neutered these simple acts, as being paternalistic or in some bizarre way condescending. How truly sad. My father taught me these things as the ultimate show of respect to women. Just as the ultimate rule that my brother and I learned, never.... NEVER hit a woman, ever. My sisters of course reveled in this rule, and often teased my brother and I to the limit. Yet, as far as I know, we have never hit a woman. Can we please speak the truth that most females are weaker than males in physical strength? To observe these rules is a show of ultimate respect, fully realizing that women's strengths are many and just as important. I am sad that boys are no longer taught these rules. Is it a surprise that young boys and girls now gravitate towards rap music that often portrays women in the most derogatory ways imaginable. And few dare to speak out against it. Schools don't, parents don't, the media rarely acknowledges that the base crudeness of so many rap songs and the oppressive message it sends to men and women. So if anyone should read this... please I beg of you... take a listen to your kids collection of music from time to time. And please... I have never been big on censorship, but sometimes you have to tell them to delete certain songs, or at the very least have a good discussion on the harmful message of disrespect and degradation these songs convey. It could be the most important discussion you can have.


To be continued...