An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/ about graduation. This follows this post about Trade Wars. For a free magazine subscription or to get the books recommended for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886- 8632.
Please follow me here for continued posts.

Turning the Hearts...Graduation Time is Special

 by Gary Antion Estimated reading time: 1 minute

Add to my study list

Login or Create an Account

With a UCG.org account you will be able to save items to read and study later!

Sign In | Sign Up

×

Whether it is grade school, junior high, senior high or university, graduation is always a special time.

Graduation signals the completion of a particular level of schooling. What an accomplishment! Graduates deserve to be congratulated and honored for their achievements in receiving their diplomas or degrees.
I remember how excited we were when our girls graduated from high school. We were so proud to be sitting in the audience with hundreds of parents as we watched our daughters walk to the stage and receive their diplomas. It was another step in maturing for them.
After the graduation came the parties at our home with invited family and friends coming by to wish the graduate success in the future. What special memories we have of those events! Remember, graduation is about the accomplishments of the graduate. Be sure to celebrate him or her. You can be pleased with his or her accomplishments, but keep the focus on the graduate.
Also remember that it is an emotional time for graduates. They are torn between spending time with their parents and wanting to be with fellow graduates whom they may not see again for a very long time. Next, plan to celebrate the event appropriately by planning the graduation party with the graduate in mind. Invite the friends and relatives that he or she would want there.
Finally, accept the level to which your graduate has now advanced. He or she has made a significant achievement and needs to be recognized appropriately by letting him or her make more decisions for himself or herself. Sometimes it is difficult for parents to recognize their children are growing up, but graduation is a time to prepare to launch them into life.
Congratulations to all our graduates!

The Message of Today's Graduation Addresses

An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/ about school graduation. This follows this post about a marriage book.  For a free magazine subscription or to get this book for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886-8632.

The Message of Today's Graduation Addresses

A commentary by Rex Sexton



Graduation time is here once again! High schools and colleges are honoring students who have worked and studied to receive a diploma or degree. But what messages are these graduates hearing? What themes are drummed into their ears as they move to the next level of life?



"Look inside yourself for answers!" "Question authority!" "Seek your own values!" "Live life as you want to live it!"



I have been attending graduations for almost as long as I can remember. Not only for my own three children who are now graduating from college, but as a pastor I try to attend the graduation ceremonies of youth in the congregations I serve. About twenty years ago I began to notice a marked change in the messages given by graduation keynote speakers.



In previous years young graduates were almost always admonished to stand by the principles of honesty, integrity, selflessness, diligence and service as they made their way into the world. Biblical principles were alluded to and speakers often quoted the great wisdom of the founders of our nation or its greatest leaders such as Lincoln, Jefferson or Washington.



Not any more!



If you attend a graduation at a school near you this year it is likely that you will hear a message about how great the self is. Following the mantra of the times, you will hear graduates bathed in flattery about the goodness in each one of us and how they must always trust their feelings and instincts.



A line that I hear regularly is: "Find your own values and then live by them." Does this really make sense? The graduate is told to set himself up as the ultimate authority, to choose and set his own guidelines for life. But what if he is tempted to break these values? The answer is simple. Since he is the lawgiver, he just changes the values to fit whatever he wants to do!



The message that this often repeated graduation theme sends is that everyone is his own ultimate authority. To understand where this message is taking us just look at the current trends in Western society. Prisons are overflowing, 30% of all babies born in the U.S. are born out of wedlock, illegal drug use is an ever growing social cancer and corruption at all levels of business and government is in the news as never before. Also as a result of marriage and the traditional family being maligned and denigrated, millions of people are living sad and lonely lives.



What messages should our young graduates hear as they begin life as responsible adults? They should be reminded of how precious liberty is and how it is only kept through diligence. A few heart-stirring quotes from Nathan Hale, Thomas Paine, Ben Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan and other honored forefathers would do.



Next they would benefit from being reminded that there is a Creator and that He is the legitimate lawgiver. The principle of Proverbs 3:5Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.



See All... could be read. It advises, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not to your own understanding" followed by verse 7, "Do not be wise in your own eyes." Perhaps some additional biblical principles could be thrown in such as "Your reward will be according to your works" (Mathew 16:27) and "What a man sows he shall also reap" (Galatians 6:7Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.



See All...).



Due to the political climate in Western society today, it is likely that few graduates this year will hear the kind of messages that they truly need for success in life. If you have graduates in your family why not take the time to give them some valuable information for their future? Give each of them a Bible! Ask them to treasure it and read it regularly, to become acquainted with the teachings of their Creator. He has given us laws to live by and principles to guide our lives.

.

Graduating With Hope

An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/ about school graduation. This follows this post about a person's reputation.  For a free magazine subscription or to get this book for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886-8632.

Graduating With Hope


A commentary by Darris McNeely

Where is a beacon of hope for the future? Where do we turn to find the way forward through the daily grind?



This is the season for graduation commencement addresses. Last week I heard one given where the speaker went through an unconventional book often quoted at graduation—the famous Dr. Seuss book Oh, the Places You'll Go .



Commencement speeches tend to point students toward a waiting life. They encourage further learning beyond the classroom. After all, formal education only prepares one for a lifetime of learning; life's experiences are the real training ground. And anyone starting out in life today can expect a fair share of them.



Trouble seems to always be on the horizon for some. Today's news is particularly bleak with bad economic news, political upheaval and natural disasters. I read that today's job market for graduates is the toughest in decades. I don't doubt it. The recession and financial upheaval of the last two years has wreaked havoc on the economy. The European debt crisis of several countries threatens to cause further damage. The financial future looks daunting.



I'll share something with you. I have stopped watching the evening news for several reasons. One of which is the continual dripping of negativity and criticism. Instead, I stay informed by following the news mainly on the Internet and, of all places, a couple of daily newspapers. There is a lot of bad news, and it is aggravated by the demands of a 24-hour news cycle that feeds an information-crazed world. People's need to know is reaping a harvest of cynicism and doubt.



This inundation of negative news casts doubt on the future for new graduates and for everyone. Where is a beacon of hope for the future? Where do we turn to find the way forward through the daily grind?



Ironically, the book of Jeremiah is such a place. Jeremiah 32 records a bold action the "prophet of doom" does during Jerusalem's, and his, darkest hour that offers an example of hope. The Babylonian army besieged the city and Jeremiah had been thrown in prison for predicting the fall of the city and captivity of the nation. Not much hope for anything positive going forward!



God tells Jeremiah to purchase his cousin's field in Anathoth. Now, even though prices would have been low in such a market, it would be a stretch to see how it would pay off if the nation was about to be taken over by hostile forces and the population deported. Conventional wisdom would have said to liquidate capital investments into currency more easily secured and moved. But no, God said to buy real estate. Why? "For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: 'Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land' (verse 15).



Later, God promises to be their God and to give them "one heart and one way" that they may be His people (Verse 38-39).



Jeremiah's action points to hope. When all we see is the knowledge of man apart from God, we can become discouraged. With the knowledge of God there is always hope. With the promises of God there is reason to get up each morning and strike out on the day. There is reason to move forward and believe. Jeremiah offers us a reason to believe we all have places to go and a future to grasp.



You may be burdened with trouble. It may be hard for you to see how to get through the day and expect anything better tomorrow. The news of our world gives us little hope at times. Focus your eyes beyond today and on a future defined by God's promises. That is the best message we can hear for a future of hope.



Keep watching!

.