MENTOR FORCE TIP of the DAY

Tuesday, December 31, 2013
The Mentor's Corset

          The corset has been used for many years to create an illusion of an acceptable body. There are a few other reasons for wearing a corset like spinal problems but they were primarily used to make the body of a woman appear more attractive. The corset could hide flaws and make curves. Today the corset has been mostly relegated to costume status. A Mentor has flaws, do you hide them from your Mentee?

           Transparency is a good trust builder. I once had a young lady ask: "How much about my life should I tell other people?" The answer is relative to the current circumstances and the depth of your current relationship. I believe that any part of my history that may help someone deal with their own problems is fair game. Compassion should dictate the depth of any personal revelation.

          Your goal in Mentoring is to help someone learn and grow. Nobody is flawless. Nobody has all the answers. If you try and make yourself look like a "goody two shoes" you might as well put on a Mentor's Corset. Your Mentee will recognize the corset and the fact that you are hiding flaws. You do not have to give a full blown history of all of your personal indiscretions or embarrassing history. People who do that are seeking for self glory anyway.  Be real, be transparent, be generous and compassionate, leave your corset home!

Thanks for your time.
Go do something nice for somebody.

Photo taken from: 
The Huffington Post  |  Posted: 05/22/2013 10:28 am EDT  |  Updated: 05/22/2013 10:28 am EDT
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/22/corset-pictures-xrays_n_3319362.html 

A MENTOR IS AN EDDY
   
         Character is like the ebb and flow of a river. The current changes at every bend of the river. Life is full of white water; rapids and turbulence are normal characteristics in the currents of a river. An eddy can be a place of rest in a wild river.

           Eddies in a river are circular whirlpools caused by obstacles in the river. A large rock can cause the water behind it to flow in a circular motion. As the water meets the obstacle, a reverse current is created as water flows on the sides of the obstacle. An eddy is generally a good place to rest as the swift current is interrupted.

CAUTION! Some eddies can be dangerous! In very powerful currents, an eddy may actually capsize your craft. The metaphor of a Mentoring Eddy is simply a Mentoring Metaphor. This is not a guide for safety on a river! A gang may appear as a safe eddy. A gang can give you a place of rest: you may end up resting in the grave or resting behind bars. 

        As a Mentoring Eddy, you are providing a place in your heart where somebody can rest and feel safe knowing they can trust you. DO NOT BREAK THAT TRUST! The river of a young persons life has enough turbulence, a Mentor should not appear as more white water. Be committed to a long relationship that is rock solid and safe.



Authors Note: The term "eddy" has also been used as a degrading slang term. Sometimes young people will use the term referring to a special education student. Mockery is a powerful eddy that can capsize positive character development.

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The Heart Farmers Takes A Mycobacterium Vaccaetion
(IT'S GOOD TO PLAY IN THE DIRT!)           
          "Daddy, why do you say it's good to get dirty?" Asked the Heart Farmers Daughter. "Well my sweet little Beauty, we all need some dirt under our fingernails!" Replied the Heart Farmer.

           "Before you were born my little darling, I went to the big city to buy some seed. I struck up a conversation with a fella who said he was a scientist. He told me about the benefits of good bacteria in the dirt. He told me that most folks try to kill the bacteria and germs in the dirt because they thought they were bad. It turns out that they were killing all the good germs! That scientist was a smart fella, he used some of them big science words that I never heard before. He told me about something called Mycobacterium vaccae. He said it helps to cause our bodies to release something called seratonin. That's the stuff in our bodies that makes us happy and even think better! He said that vaccae stuff could even help fight diseases like cancer. You know my little sweet petunia, I think maybe we all need a vaccaetion just playing in the dirt!"

           "O Daddy, you're so funny! Maybe when God made people out of dirt, he made us with good bacteria and we just fertilized the good out of the dirt." Said the Heart Farmers Daughter. "The big man looked down at his daughter and smiled as he said: "You're as smart as that scientist my darling. I think God planted some of your Mom's brains in that pretty little head of yours!" The girl giggled as her Heart Farmer Dad swooped her up into his huge arms. She threw her arms around his neck and said: "I love you Daddy!"

Thanks for your time. 
Go do something nice for somebody.

  As A Man I Feel Inadequate at Christmas





   

      As a man, I often feel inadequate.
Sometimes I feel like I have to measure up to some manly standard.
I feel inadequate as a father, as a husband, as a son, as a neighbor or as a friend. My view of myself as a provider, whether it be financial or emotional, never seems to be adequate.

          I wonder if Joseph felt inadequate as he led a donkey that carried his pregnant wife. He is supposed to be the provider for his growing family. The best he can do when they need a place to stay is an animal shelter. Looking back on Joseph's history, he must have dome pretty well as a husband and dad. His wife and child went on to change the world forever.

          I wonder if he felt inadequate when his son went missing for 3 days. When Joseph and his wife found their son, he was teaching teachers. When Mary told him how worried that she and his father had been, his reply was: "Didn't you know that I was doing my Father's business?" They didn't have a clue what he meant.

          Sometimes I don't have a clue as a husband or father. I see my children or wife in pain and I want to take it away and I can't. The story of Christmas is about a new birth. The story of the child who was born continues through the years and includes death on a cross. That's not where the story ends.

          Joseph felt inadequate as a dad when his son was missing for 3 days. It must have felt like Christmas when he found his son. I wonder if his mom felt inadequate when her son died on the cross and was dead for 3 days. She must have felt like it was Christmas when he rose again. They don't call it the second Christmas but they could have. Of course they didn't celebrate Christmas back then. They just kept going through a process of having something lost and then found.

          I've come to realize that I must be about my Father's business. There are no inadequacies in His creation. He separated darkness from light. He separated the heavens from the earth. He separated land from water. He separated the seasons: Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer. He filled his separations with living critters. He separated men and women from the world, created them in His image. 

          I cannot be an inadequate image of God. His creation is constantly separating through lostness and foundness - death and new life. My inadequacies cannot be my cross, they must be nailed to the cross. My heart must be placed in the manger of Christmas.

          A manger may not seem like an adequate place to be born.
 A cross may not seem like an adequate place to die.
The separation between the manger and the cross is another phase of the creation of God. All of His creation works together adequately.

          I hope your Christmas is filled with the newness and foundness of  peace, joy and love in the smiles of your heart. Jesus loves you and so do we.

          Several years ago we were contacted by a gentleman about raising money by shopping online. You can shop at most major stores and purchase most major brands. It seems like an easy thing to do: shop online and receive a small percentage of the profit.

          The program is designed to help Youth With A Purpose. If you shop online, please check it out and let us know what you think.

www.shopywap.com

Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody.

Mentor Force is a program at Youth With A  Purpose designed to Mentor children and teach Mentors. Every child in buffalo deserves to have someone in their lives who cares about them.

Mentorology Volume One is the third book we've written this year. We will keep on writing and we will keep on Mentoring!

You can find the book at:
http://www.amazon.com/Mentorology-Volume-One-Building-Mentorship/dp/1494395851
or
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/388533

We hope your day is filled with heart smiles.
We hope your day is filled with cheer.
We hope your day is filled with hope.

If you or someone you know is having trouble
finding something for their heart to smile about,
please let us know.
We would love to sow a
seed of hope in your heart.

Rejection happens to a seed.
(The heart farmer has to release the seed from his hand.)
Falling and failing are not bad things.
(The seed has to fall to the ground.)
Brokenness is necessary for you to grow.
(The farmer breaks the ground before he plants.)
Loneliness can be a dark depression.
(The seed under dirt is just waiting to grow.)
You are a seed who will grow through loneliness, brokenness, failure
and rejection. Even in the darkest night, the sun always rises.

If you need help, please let us know. You can leave us a message at:
[email protected]


Please visit http://p0.vresp.com/Yt1Wvi #vr4smallbiz For a look at some of our Christmas photos and a little more YWAP news.

Thanks for your time.
Go do something nice for somebody..

MENTOR FORCE TIP of the DAY

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Lemur Teeth           

Lemurs are know for their rapid dental development. They use their teeth in a variety of ways including grooming and debris removal as a matter of personal hygiene. They possess a "toothcomb" made up of  canine and incisor teeth that aids them in eating and grooming.

          Many children who have lived in impoverished and violent neighborhoods soak up their negative surroundings. Some teenagers do not even expect to live until they are 21 years old. The negativity of their lives becomes debris in their hearts. That debris of hopelessness can be removed.

          A Mentor has a responsibility as a "debris remover." Hope can be sown in a young persons heart. Start with your words - do you paint a positive road map of future opportunity? Do you help young people explore their own unique talents? Your role as a Mentor is to identify, nurture, protect and empower young people to use their talents to become self proficient and accountable members of society.

Thanks for your time.
Go do something nice for somebody.