Youth in Crisis

Solutions to ‘Youth in Crisis’ are in the Bible

The Book of Good Family Stories

Hardly a day goes by that we don’t hear or read about a boy or girl falling victim to a violent attack by another boy or girl who cannot be named for legal reasons. Also, it is common now that every new incident is followed by calls to stop the bloodshed. Politicians on all sides of the house, peace keepers and in some instances parents whose offspring happen to be on the receiving end, never seem to be short of corrective initiatives

Calls for stiffer penalties for youngsters found with knives or guns are now common place. But at best measures introduced seem only to stem the tide, for maybe a night or two. Sooner rather than later you can bet your life that the rhetoric will be heard again and finger pointing will be rife.

My take on this is that any move to bring home real awareness of the problem may not rest in the imposition of stiffer controls or penalties alone. Take for instance, the Ray Lewis initiative. The founder and chief executive of Eastside Young Leaders Academy (EYLA ), attributes its success to strict discipline and mentoring. He believes that these are the pillars of the EYLA programme that enables otherwise belligerent youngsters to aspire to take on leadership roles in their communities.

Lewis is a former prison governor and part-time preacher. I will not try here to suggest how his governorship influenced or motivated him, but I am quite sure that his principled stance is the result of his Christian upbringing and teaching.

You see in all the talk about conjuring up a feeling of goodness and love in youngsters , no one, let alone the media, seems to consider the guidelines for living, contained in the Book of Books. It would be natural to think that in a country, built on the doctrine of Christianity, this would not be too difficult. But sad to say, we live in a Christian country that continues to turn away and stray from transmissible biblical truths and the path of righteousness.

In her book ‘The Shelter of Each Other - Rebuilding Our Families’ Dr. Mary Pipher, http://www.marypipher.net/books.html offers advice on rebuilding troubled families. If we agree that families make up communities and communities make up countries, then Pipher’s example of the ideal family is worth a look in. Here, she speaks of the need for children to mix with the older generation, so they can listen to and hear the stories of aunts, uncles, grandparents and parents. This she concludes will help them to learn from those who have gone on before.

But I can even go one better than that and point our law makers in particular to the book of Joshua, one of the books of the Old Testament. In fact, the Old Testament places much importance on the need for children to be taught about their spiritual heritage. ‘Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,’ comes to mind. It comes from a Psalm (Psalm 33:12) which speaks about the greatness and goodness of God.

I have said all this to say that until our country returns to the God of the childhood of the majority of its people, solutions to the ‘crisis of youth’ and other troubles that beset the nation will continue to elude us.

Maybe what we really need to stem the tide, is for the church to again engender spiritual interaction between generations. The Good Book is loaded with family stories and our children need to hear and know them just as much as they need a mummy and a daddy. The country today also needs law makers and leaders who still find time to read for wisdom and search the Bible for guidance in solving the nation's problems. Have your say here…

Is A Severe Cold Snap On the Way for The UK?

The Answer You Get Depends on Who You Ask

The UK could be in for a period of severe weather conditions with more snow and ice than the country has seen for decades. At least that’s what a leading insurer would have us believe that forecasters are predicting.
Although forecasters are often chided for getting or guessing the weather wrong, not all seem to agree with ‘Severe Weather Forecast to Hit the UK’ the headline of a release published by the Insurer. In fact Forecasters on the BBC Web site predict that the weather will remain unsettled through February, but say the country will experience temperatures well above normal for the time of year.
So who is fooling who? The insurer’s release, which warns that cold weather can play havoc with cars, is loaded with 'staying warm' tips and advice for motorists and homeowners.
I maybe selfishly inclined to take the forecasters more seriously than the insurer. Why? I have a feeling that the company’s forecast may be nothing more than a ploy to scare us in to switching allegiance or taking out additional coverage.
But then again the country may be past due for a snowy winter. Looking back 50 years, there seems to be around six really snowy winters on record - 1963-64; 1965-1966; 1976-77, 1977-78, 1981-82 1984-85. During some these winters snow on the ground virtually all over the country was measured in feet. As unbelievable as that may sound today there are those among us who will tell you that there were colder winters with even heavier snow falls in the 1940’s.
I was in conversation with a few of them the other day and heard about walking four miles to and from school with snow drifts at over six feet. At over 70 or maybe 80, they also experienced cold snaps during which it was deemed too cold and dangerous to take babies outdoors.
So far this year we have had our fill of days with temperatures below and above average. So regardless of what forecasters and insurers say, I don’t think now is the time to worry about who is fooling who. And you know what? It may not be a bad idea to heed the insurer's advice, prepare for the worst, and go on and winterise your car and check-up you central heating now.