Devoted to Faith
Faith is a word that people toss around or use lightly. It is quite rare to find people who live their life carrying the weight of their faith. Avi Duncan, an advocate for her faith, is one thoroughly dedicated, intelligent, and family oriented individual. Through her raw words and powerful actions she lives out her conviction. To live by words and stick to the book without straying away, takes strength and passion that not every person obtains.
Avniel Duncan was born during the midst of fall on October 11th, 1999 to the parents of Calvin Duncan, Jr., and Diane Duncan. Even as a child, Avi had family values and was always there to lend a hand. Mr. Duncan recalls cleaning the house with Avi. As he walked into the kitchen, he
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Even Avi’s long term life goal of being married and having children shows her commitment and how driven she is to her faith (Duncan, Avi 1). Her driven mindset to her faith even affects her lifetime goal: to be married and have children. Even though being a stay at home mom is her first choice, she would not mind being a librarian, possibly as a side job. A more current goal is to receive a full ride to Francis Marion University and Major in English Literature and Minor in French, a “completely useless” degree, according to Avi. Sarcasm is a characteristic most people assume that Avi does not possess. Those people have not yet had a conversation with her. Avi describes herself as quiet, and a “what you see is what you get” type of person. Spending time with family every night watching Fraiser and having weekends quiet and alone- “I guess it really is the little things that make up life,” Avi expressed (Duncan Avi 1). The most cherished book that she has read is The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri “The older the book the better,” Avi says. Her interest for the 1800’s shows insight and pure curiosity for the past. As to what would be a perfect day for her, it is simple- no more homework of any kind (Avi Duncan 2). Before becoming a student at West Florence, Avi received valuable advice from her aunt- “Hug the wall.” Of course the advice was not literal, instead, the words of wisdom
In his book, An Imperfect God, Henry Wiencek argues in favor of Washington being the first true president to set the precedent for the emancipation of African-American slaves. Wiencek delves into the evil paradox of how a nation conceived on the principles of liberty and dedicated to the statement that all men are created equal was in a state that still preserved slavery for over seven decades following the construction of the nation. Washington’s grandeur estate at Mount Vernon at its peak had the upkeep of over 300 slaves 126 of which were owned by Washington. First, it must be understood that Washington was raised on slavery receiving ownership of 10 slaves at the age of 11 years old and that Washington was a man of his time. However, it must also be understood that Washington’s business with slavery was in the context of a constrained social and political environment. Weincek maintains that this does not exonerate the fact that Washington maintained slavery however; it does help to quantify the moral shortcoming by which Washington carried until his last year of life.
In the book, Apostles of Disunion, author Charles B. Dew opens the first chapter with a question the Immigration and Naturalization service has on an exam they administer to prospective new American citizens: “The Civil War was fought over what important issue”(4). Dew respond by noting that “according to the INS, you are correct if you offer either of the following answers: ‘slavery or states’ rights’” (4). Although this book provides more evidence and documentation that slavery was the cause of the Civil War, there are a few places where states’ rights are specifically noted. In presenting the findings of his extensive research, Dew provides compelling documentation that would allow the reader to conclude that slavery was indeed the cause for both secession and the Civil War.
I enjoyed reading Disciplined Hearts by Theresa O'Nell because i find that many people today do not know a lot about the Native American culture and what they have been through. Their cultures history is not talked about as much the African American or Hispanic's are. Most Americans know about the hardships that the African American and Hispanics had to overcome to assimilate to the level that they are today. I think O'Nell is trying to talk about the history of the Native American culture because, she believes that the reason that their culture is not well-known because of the fact that they have chosen to keep living like their ancestors and not assimilate to the American culture.
David Malter was part of the Jewish sect that took on a more modern approach. He is very understanding, and he cares very deeply for his son Reuven. Reuven and his father's relationship would be considered healthy by most people. They love each other very much, and they have a very open communication with each other.
Bringing Life or Seven Years in Afghanistan is a story from an Engineer alumni from ORU, Joshua Atkinson, that recounts destitution and honor from working to develop a devastated Afghanistan. His memories from the dreaded 9/11 attacks has detailed Atkinson's journey to Afghanistan for working with the nation and the people during the outbreak of the war. His novel has only great telling from life in Afghanistan to showing difficulties in rebuilding the country to even the calling God has called to him for.
Dennis Covington writes about a unique method of worship—snake handling, in his memoir, Salvation on Sand Mountain. He begins as a journalist, looking in on this foreign way of life; however, as time progresses he increasing starts to feel a part of this lifestyle. As a result loses his journalistic approach, resulting in his memoir, detailing his own spiritual journey. Upon the conclusion of his stay in this world, Covington realizes the significance of this journey, and argues in his memoir that we cannot entirely know ourselves until we step outside of our comfort zone and separate ourselves from our norm.
In the novel Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer, the protagonist, Christopher McCandless, displays isolation and independence almost to the point of narcissism but it was not until he set out on his journey into the wild that those closest to him realized the true height of his individualism. In McCandless’s eyes, people in his society have forgotten about the value in the pursuit of personal knowledge, the chase of individual happiness, and the existence without materialistic objects. On his journey, McCandless takes drastic measures to uncover, find and discover who he is and what he is capable of, isolating himself physically and mentally, driven by the idea that society urges men to conform.
The fourth component of faith is that we need to understand that faith can act as fear, fascination, or both of these qualities at the same time. The fifth component of faith is that doubt is a major product that will always exist with faith. The last component of faith is that we need a community in order to have a “language of faith”. In Flannery O’Connor’s short story
Faith is an important aspect in everybody. It helps us see God, and believe in him. Our faith is always tested when there is a hard theological decision to make or somebody else trying to break your bold with God. The movie Field of Dreams, is a great example of how staying true to your faith can sometimes be hard.
The story showcases the lack of aspirations of a culture. It takes us through the point of view of the children, who think of nothing but entertainment, and through the mind frame of the adults who have resigned their lives to mediocrity. Mrs. Moore proves to be the catalyst that sets alight the imagination of the children. She realizes that by just telling the children that there is something better out there, she will not be able to instill in them a sense of longing; an aspiration to achieve something better in life. She employs keener methods to...
“For The Bible Tells Me So” by Daniel Karslake is a documentary style film that focuses on issues about sexuality. The film focuses on the conflict between homosexuality and Christianity and the analysing of several Bible verses about homosexuality. The film attempts to alter the minds of homophobes by using facts, science and several interviews with Christians who also have gay children. The interviews are done with five American, very Christian families and “how they handle the realization of having a gay child” (Karslake, 2007.)
Joshua Nealy, a prominent medical school graduate, died last night from complications of losing his dream of becoming a practicing physician. He was 39 years-old. Soft-spoken and borderline obsessive, Joshua never looked the part of a “professional”, but, in the final days of his life, he revealed an unknown side of his psyche. This hidden quasi-Jungian persona surfaced during the last three years of pursuit of his long reputed dream profession, a position, which he spent nearly 10 years attaining. Sadly, the protracted search ended this past March 18th in complete and utter failure. Although in certain defeat, the courageous Nealy secretly clung to the belief that life is merely a series of meaningless accidents or coincidences. It’s not a tapestry of events that culminate in an exquisite, sublime plan. Asked about the loss of her dear friend, Emily, the girlfriend turned fiancé and dPT expert of Berkshire County, described Joshua as a changed man in the last years of his life. "Things were worse for him; not following his dream left him mostly lifeless, uninspired," Sammons noted. Ultimately, Joshua concluded that if we are to live life in harmony with the universe, we must all possess the powerful ability to change ourselves and the world around us; the choice to make ours from nothingness.
Everyone copes with grief in his or her own ways. Tracy K. Smith, the poet laureate of the United States and
The book Muhammad, by Michael Cook, describes the impact Muhammad has had on the world as we know it. It explains why Muhammad chose the paths he did, and how certain laws came about. Cook offers a very objective view of the laws and policies Muhammad outlined in the Koran, and the traditions that are carried on that supplement his written law.
I read the entirety of J. P. Moreland’s book Love God With All Your Mind. In the book Moreland tells the reader why Christians should be able to think properly. In the first section the reader discovers how the mind plays a role in their spiritual life. On page 16, Moreland states that the anti intellectualism movement started as a result of the Great Awakening. The Great Awakening put a high emphasis on emotions and did not press the importance of knowledge of God and scripture. The next chapter focuses solely on scripture that supports his argument. Chapter 3, the last chapter in the first section, Moreland gives us his idea of the soul. He even gives the reader five states of the soul which are: a sensation, a thought, a belief, a desire,