Wilhite Wilderness Children’s Ministry

Entrepreneurship … A Leap Of Faith Entrepreneurship is a multifaceted adventure that, without a doubt, closely resembles a roller coaster ride. When you begin an entrepreneurial journey or “ride,” you are aware of the gamut of experiences, both disappointing and rewarding, that you will encounter as you undertake this challenge. Entrepreneurial challenges are not unlike most challenges in life. Hard work, long hours, and anxious moments are just a few of the characteristics of the journey to most successful outcomes. Reoccurring questions often roam the business mind, and---although they may be phrased in a variety of ways---are basically centered on these four primary issues: more sales, more cash, more time, and more of the “right” people. Starting your own business is an undertaking that requires more than vision, inspiration, sweat equity, money and determination. It is a leap of faith that demands that you let go of everything that is safe, comfortable, and proven. It is getting “outside the box” in the biggest way possible. Beginning a new business venture can be risky, dangerous, and harrowing. However, with the proper preparation, the appropriate knowledge, and the counsel of a mentor or a trusted advisor, it can be a liberating and an extremely rewarding experience. There’s a reason why many of America’s most successful people are entrepreneurs who started their own business and then saw them take off to unimaginable heights. There’s a reason why the Horatio Algers of the world continue to inspire thousands of entrepreneurs every day. There is a reason why some of America’s greatest companies started with an idea, with meager seed capital, and with an individual who had a maniacal belief in the potential of an idea, and--- along with determination and perseverance--- saw it through to success. However, for every success, there are hundreds of failures. The statistics are not only sobering, but downright frightening. More than half of all businesses started today will fail. The failure rate is astounding. Take a look at recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data, and this is what you will discover: After two years, across all sectors, 44 percent of all new businesses are no longer in business. After four years, 66 percent no longer exist. And, these survival rates don’t vary much by industry. What do the statistics tell us? That most new businesses—whether they’re founded on the most brilliant idea since the theory of relativity or production of a mundane but exquisitely necessary manufacturing component—are making fatal mistakes that will ultimately lead them to bankruptcy. This much is certain. If more than half of all new ventures fail, there are lessons that are not being learned. journey of faith Catholic Youth Group Activities It is a must to ‘act’ now. You may be in a very tough situation today. Being an adolescent is not easy. This is the time when you experience a lot of pressure from people around you. You begin to explore things you hardly know about and you often drift away from your family. If you don’t like what’s happening and you feel that there is a need to change your ways, then you should be involved in Catholic youth group activities. Well of course, you have to be a Catholic so that there will be no conflicts with regards to faith and beliefs. But anyway, Catholic youth groups are open to all teenagers who want to be nearer to Jesus Christ and His righteous ways. So why choose to become a member of a Catholic youth group now? Perhaps you’re already aware that the world is filled with a lot of temptations; temptations that can wreck your life forever. If you don’t want to end up like all the others, you must choose a youth group now. That way, you will grow with faith in the Lord through the various experiences that will soon come your way. As a member of a Catholic youth group, you will be able to experience Jesus Christ in strangers and friends. Through acts of charity and social justice, you can experience the other person of God – Holy Spirit. The youth group will also conduct scripture reflections, liturgy, prayers, and retreats so that all the members can experience God. The Catholic youth groups all over the world have the same purpose and that is to offer all the youths a fun and safe Christian environment. You will be able to see your friends on a particular schedule every week. The mission of all the youth groups is to energize the parish youths in faith though various social activities, discussion topics, scripture reflection, outreach, service, and other church-related actions. As mentioned earlier, everyone is invited as long as you’re a teenager. There is a Catholic youth group for every parish; however, if you are not from the parish or you’re from another denomination, you’re still welcome. The youth activities usually vary every month but most youth groups follow a basic structure which includes the following – opening prayer, scripture reflection, activity, open forum, and the closing prayer. During the school year, the youth group usually meets once every month and during special events or activities. Aside from the church-related events, the youth group can even go scavenger hunting, Lenten seder, and movie night outs. So you see, its not just about learning about God and Christ, but it is also about having fun as a teen. The big difference though is that you will be far from worldly temptations like alcohol, drugs, and many others. You will be surrounded with other teens who are responsible, disciplined, and religious. The youth group has an activity coordinator and if ever your group wants to suggest a certain new activity, you can easily contact the authorized person. So you see, being a member of a catholic youth group is fun and exciting. You will learn a lot every time the group meets. You can now consider the youth group as your new peer group. Now, your parents will not worry every time you go out because they are sure that you’re with good company. christian retreats Atheism in a Post-Religious World Tremblay, Francois - Atheism in a Post-religious World - Suite101, 2004 "If a man would follow, today, the teachings of the Old Testament, he would be a criminal. If he would strictly follow the teachings of the New, he would be insane" (Robert Ingersoll) Is ours a post-religious world? Ask any born again Christian fundamentalist, militant Muslim, orthodox Jew, and nationalistic Hindu. Religion is on the rise, not on the wane. Eighteenth century enlightenment is besieged. As the author himself often admits, atheism, as a creed, is on the defensive. First, we should get our terminology clear. Atheism is not the same as agnosticism which is not the same as anti-theism. Atheism is a religion, yet another faith. It is founded on the improvable and unfalsifiable belief (universal negative) that there is no God. Agnosticism is about keeping an open mind: God may or may not exist. There is no convincing case either way. Anti-theism is militant anti-clericalism. Anti-theists (such as Tremblay and myself) regard religion as an unmitigated evil that must be eradicated to make for a better world. This treasure of a book - it is incredible how much the author squeezed into 50 pages! - is about anti-theism. Tremblay labels religion a swindle and mental terrorism and explains, convincingly, why he chose these epithets. He demonstrates the inextricable link between the belief in the afterlife and immorality and castigates religion's intolerance coupled with its ever-shifting philosophical goalposts. Its dogmatism leads to a loss of experiential richness and to negative cognitive consequences to both the believer and his milieu. Religion, observes Tremblay with undisguised repulsion and bitterness, scams people with false promises of the hereafter, its texts are objectionable, it is unnatural, and it promotes falsities. In other words, it is a criminal enterprise. In the chapters he dedicates to refuting the bogus arguments from design, he refers to the works of George Smith, Michael Martin, and Corey Washington. His own treatment of the issue is even more original and refreshing - complexity and order do not a design make, he shows. The book is not without its flawed arguments - but these only add to the fun of mentally sparring with this thought-provoking author. For instance, he does not distinguish between established religions and cults or sects. Similarly he defines theocracy as the rule of religion (lexically correct) when, in the real world, it is the misuse and abuse of religion by rulers. I missed references to the plethora of relevant discoveries, theorems, hypotheses, and theories in the exact sciences and in formal logic. Consider this example: it can be proven that God cannot and does not exist ("strong atheism"), Tremblay argues, because having a God leads to either meaninglessness or to contradictions or to both. But this is precisely the Gödel theorem: formal logical systems can be either complete or consistent, but never both. It is a pity he neglects to mention it. Finally, to my mind, Tremblay misses the big picture. As Freud correctly noted a century ago, religion is a mental pathology. You cannot rationally argue with people whose judgment and reason are suspended. Distinctions between personal and objective beliefs are lost on delusional fanatics. Religious people have faith in a god because it fulfills basic and entrenched (and unhealthy) emotional needs - not because its existence can or has been proven. We all - even atheists - hold irrational beliefs to some extent. Religion just happens to be a particularly virulent and insidious strain of irrationality. If you want to survey the emerging battle lines between the regrouping forces of reason and the resurging Dark Ages - read this book. It is a gem of a guide to the real Armageddon that is upon us. christian outreach

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