Reflection Paper

Christians today need to grow in love and to show that love through concern and service for the well-being of others. We need to put the care and well-being of others above our care and concern for ourselves. We need to love all people, not just the ones that are like us, or that are nice, or that can help us get what we want. This love for people will reflect God’s love for all people which He made clear by His laws in the Old Testament and the sacrificial death of Christ for our sins in the New Testament.

The author concludes that Christians are to live faithfully by the values of the bible. As members of society, we are expected to play a critical role in in our community rather than isolating ourselves from those opposed to Christian worldviews. There are ways for Christians to live out their faith, but still remain active parts in the community.

Relationships between the church and contemporary culture have the ability to foster that greater sense of well-being. In today’s society people should demonstrate their decisions based on the Biblical Golden Rule.

We are called to embrace the reality of others’ authentic relation to God, and must acknowledge there are numerous sources – sacred texts, traditions, cultures, and experiences – that speak to what is good, right, and just in pursuing the dignity of all persons. Yet I believe that for Christians, the Christ depicted in the gospels is the model who demonstrates God’s will in the world. Jesus Christ emphasizes the importance of love of God and love of neighbor; because all of humanity reflects and is created in God’s image, the two cannot be separated. As a result of our discipleship, which is predicated on these two principles, we are called to ensure that justice, hope, love, and grace be available for any and all. We are linked in a web of global interdependence with our neighbor, and we are responsible in the larger world that includes us

Community is at the center of Christianity. When asked about the greatest commandment, Jesus responded, “Love God with all your heart, soul and mind, and to love your neighbor as yourself.” 2 It appears that loving God is inextricably tied to loving your neighbor. The assumption is that we must do everything in our power, despite the circumstance, for our neighbors, what we would wish for them to do for us, were the situation reversed. In fact, we are taught to mourn with our neighbors in their adversity and to rejoice in their prosperity.3

It is the duty of mankind—as a sensitive, fully coherent, and impactful body of people— to use the resources, talents, abilities, and skills at our disposal for the mutual benefit of each other. This can be done superficially, though; many people mean well but do not have Christ as a daily part of their lives. If we are to truly create a precedent of genuineness and love towards others, we must first love God the Father. Jesus Christ himself was asked by the Pharisees and experts in the Jewish law, “Teacher, what is God’s greatest commandment?” It is no surprise that he chronologically lays out the framework for what we call Responsible Citizenship: “Love God with all thy heart, soul, and mind, and [only then, can you] love thy neighbor as thyself.” If we do not have the love of Christ in our hearts, we simply cannot love others adequately. The pristine examples of Christ’s love, purity, and outreach towards others must serve as a model of practical benevolent practices. If we were to truly practice the values of Responsible Citizenship, it would change us and the world alike, and the values taught from Lee University’s community covenant would be expressed hands-on.

Thomas was administered the A.P.S. and told about how the results would help reveal his strengths and weaknesses. We discussed how that temperament is the basis for personality. I took down some basic information and discussed how that the additional information would be helpful with the sessions.

When we read a story there is a message that connects with us. The themes and life lessons that are shown in the stories can change the way we think and feel. Sometimes, stories leave a lasting impact on us because we are experiencing similar themes in our lives. While reading a variety of stories, there will be some that are good, and some that never translate well with a person. During class this semester, while not every story may have had a lasting impression, it did always leave room for the reader to think. The best thing about stories is that they give off feelings of pain, love, sadness, and happiness that can be expressed through its characters. The human emotions that are conveyed can empathize with readers because they feel what the author is trying to bring to life through their words. The story I enjoyed the most was “The Best of Everything” by Richard Yates and “Another Evening at the Club” by Alifa Rifaat.” These two stories affected me the most and influenced my thinking in the most positive way. The story I enjoyed the least was “The Five Forty-Eight” by John Cheever. While it was my least favorite story, it did allow me to think about the message the author was trying to portray.

Since the beginning of the semester, my writing has changed and evolved to accommodate and sustain longer essays. With longer essays, there is more room for in-depth analysis. Further analyzing a topic has led me to findings that I did not know existed. As I continue to write, I uncover addition and superior methods to approach my writing to the benefit of me and therefore, my audience. Throughout the semester, I have incorporated techniques to further my narrative throughout my writing.

Throughout this semester teaching the theories that resonated with me the most were: Cross and Fhagen-Smith’s Model of “Black Identity Development”, and Yasso’s “Community Cultural Wealth Model.” As a minority these two identities have shaped my life profoundly. My personal theory philosophy comes from my lived experience and my time working as graduate assistant in the Multicultural Center.

Every religion has different beliefs. I personally am Catholic, so we believe in some things that other people do not. Since I am Catholic we believe in having Godparents; it is almost like having a second set of parents, but they do not live under the same roof. Having Godparents is like having backup parents. If your parents pass away the Godparents would raise you and take care of you. Godparents are the ones who are supposed to help children understand things about God and their religion. They also make sure children are going down the right path in life. Sometimes I still question: What is the correct path in life? There are a variety of different paths that I could take, but sometimes I do not know which one is the perfect one; this is when my Godparents help me discover which path is the one for me.

Dive into the perils that is writing. All of us have been writing since we were young. Throughout this semester of English, I have learned how to write in APA, and I have learned how to use every detail possible to extend and expand my essays. The literacy narrative essay, research essay, and annotated bibliography have all been essays I have written this semester, and each one has been a different challenge.

Recently informed that my admission has been rescinded has personally taken a toll on me. I am completely devastated to say the least. I never would have thought something like this would have happened to me. I felt as though everything I ever worked for has been taken away from me. I never imagined something like this would happen, especially so late. Before I started the process of filling out college applications I was completely unaware as to where I wanted to go for school or what exactly I wanted to do. For some reason Channel Islands caught my eye. I saw myself doing great things at CSU Channel Islands because it's a small school that's open to new ideas. I saw myself becoming more involved in the school activities, even starting up a fashion club. I saw myself showing my leadership skills not only to others around me but to my younger siblings in hopes that they too will follow in my footsteps.

I have learned many aphorisms, or lessons, throughout my life so far. My family, friends, teachers, and pretty much everyone has taught me something in one way or another. These lessons usually come through in a change in my life. One change important to me was getting a job. This job has given me a positive learning experience (for the most part) and an education of working with others. Well, here’s what I know about going to work.

It is the night of September 4, 2015, a Friday during football season and getting to perform during halftime of my high school football game was a dream come true. As I am performing I feel a tearing that is coming from my right knee, I immediately fall to the ground in pain, but I had to get back up I can’t let my team down I must keep going. I make it through the dance, barely. I know this pain isn’t normal so I decide to go see a doctor with a very exciting name, Doctor Kazzam, I am hoping for news as exciting as his name. He does the major tests and finds out my meniscus is torn almost in half, meaning surgery is needed. Eight months after surgery and countless hours of knee strengthening physical therapy I am still nowhere close to being able to dance again. At this point I am hopeless, I have no motivation to do anything and I’m starting to give up on everything. I try binge watching Netflix, spending even more time with family, and drawing to try to be happy once again, none of this worked. My knee finally reaches the point of clearing in July. First day back at dance things were going great and they continue to go great for four more weeks I was so happy my motivation slowly started coming back and I was becoming myself again all until August 20, 2016. This time instead of a tearing feeling I feel a pop, and a loud pop as I fall to the ground the girls around me look around to see what that popping noise was. I decide to try a new doctor and this time I pick an