A Young Man's Mind

I'm Still A Guy

2009-06-04T21:59:00.002-05:00

I really appreciate that song by Brad Paisley because it does a good job summing up how us guys think. Let me tell you a story about how much the female gender confuses us.

One sunny afternoon, two fellows were walking down the beach and amidst their
conversation, one tripped over a bottle. At that moment, a cloud of blue
smoke surrounded them and out of the bottle came a genie.
"I will give each of you one wish, so think about your greatest hopes and
dreams and I will lay whatever you choose at your fingertips," said the
genie.
So, the two men thought for a minute and the first one spoke up.
"I want power and wealth and influence. I want to be known throughout the
land as a man of dignity and I want to lead millions."
So, the genie said, "And your wish is now granted. Go and lead your people."
And the man left and became king of all the land
The second man thought for awhile longer and then told the genie, "My wife
and I are in the middle of a tough time. I think if I took her to Hawaii, things
might get better for us. But the problem is I'm scared of planes and she is
afraid of boats. So, genie, my wish is that there could be a causeway
stretching from here all the way to the shores of Hawaii."
The genie looked at him and chuckled, shaking his head.
"Sir, you do understand the great amounts of material that would have to go
into building that bridge, don't you?", the genie asked, smirking.
"Yes," said the man.
"And you do know that the engineering for such a massive feat could take
thousands of years at the least, right?"
"Yes, sir, I understand."
"I cannot grant that wish. I'm so sorry, but whatever else it is that you may
want, I will grant it," said the genie.
Puzzled about this, the man then requested, "Well, genie, then I wish to
understand women."
The genie looked at the man with shock and horror written on his face and
then asked the man, "How soon do you want that bridge?"

So here's a message to all men and women out there: MEN ARE MORE LIKELY TO BECOME KING OVER ALL AMERICA OR EVEN BUILD A CAUSEWAY TO HAWAII THAN THEY ARE LIKELY TO EVER UNDERSTAND WOMEN!

The Last Summer

2009-06-01T16:29:00.006-05:00

And summer has begun.

Classes let out officially last Friday and I've already had a few good times. I've already got my sunburn out of the way, already put my truck in the shop (not fun but definitely a new record), I've gotten turned down for a job twice, and even commited to a dare. Ah, summertime.

It really began to hit me today that this is my last shear-fire summer at home. After this it'll be prepping for college and taking summer classes and getting a job to SUPPORT MYSELF. It's scary to think that summer dreams and the good times are coming to a close. My saga in Grapeland is ending itself and I'm preparing to be a part of the real world, to be a mover and shaker in everyday life.

I'm beginning to question who it is that I really am and what it is that I'm made of. Can I make it in the world? Can I be somebody? I believe I can. But it'll take submission to God.

My last real summer. It all has gone too fast and I took it all for granted...

A Young Man's Mind

2009-05-28T22:39:00.003-05:00

I believe that a lot of people in the world underestimate the power of a young person's thought process. So in a nutshell, here is what goes on in this young man's mind on a daily basis:

I ask God to keep me and protect me by his power.
I study what's going on in our world in depth, and recently have been trying to tolerate differing political opinions.
I always want something to write about, especially if it's a current issue.
I thirst for the day when I'll have my say in government by voting.
I wonder a lot about why I spend so much time sending texts, but so little time on my knees praying.
I look things up on the Internet just for my general knowing.
I try to find or invent new ways to accomplish tasks quicker and easier.
I respect the past, live the present, and anticipate the future of our country.
I ask myself if our forefathers foresaw the issues that we face.
I look at things with a perspective of "Ten Years From Now"

So I say if you question my generation's judgement, then judge me also. Know that there are very intellectually sound young people in this world. Americans are notorious for being pessimistic, especially when it comes to my generation. I always hear the cons and the negative side, but never the pros and the positive about what we have. Always know that there will always be more than meets the eye.

On Love.

2009-05-26T22:20:00.003-05:00

I still miss her. But that's expected and nobody can make that change. Love is one of the most complicating emotions, but definitely one of the most exciting as well. If you give your heart to somebody for nine extraordinary months like I did, you'll know what I mean.

I don't regret loving her or still being in love with her because I know I will always cherish every single moment and wouldn't trade one second that I spent with her for a million dollars. I was and am still so captivated by her beauty and her inner willpower that I'm affected permanently by it. I learned so much about life by being with her and I came to know what true love feels like. I actually became able to cherish a smile on some one's face and learned the value of a first kiss and how it will always have its own spot in my heart.

But the biggest lesson that I learned was that I have to, at all and every cost, keep God at number one. And that's why I lost her.

If Life Had No Pain

2009-05-25T21:06:00.002-05:00

If life had no pain
There would be no motivation.
If life had no motivation
There would be no innovation.
If life had no innovation
There would be no creativity.
If life had no creativity
There would be no expression.
If life had no expression
There would be no emotion.
If life had no emotion
There would be no pain.

A Playground Parable

2009-05-24T22:05:00.003-05:00

I can remember a time in kindergarten when I was told not to get off the see-saw while my riding buddy was up in the air. Well, I figured at some point I had to see why this act was so forcibly forbidden, so I made up my mind and when I reached the ground I scooted right off. I turned to see the shocked and pain stricken face of my friend plopped on the ground after the four foot drop of death. Tears were shed and notes were sent home to parents who inevitably scolded me and taught me the lesson that I "shouldn't do things just to be mean." I was ignorant to the fact that gravity would drag my pal down with such force. I felt bad after the ordeal and did go to apologize.

But I believe the meaning of that lesson means more than just not being a mean little toddler. In church this morning, our good Reverend spoke from Ezekiel 33. The prophet Ezekiel received a vision form God that he was to be Israel's "watchman", meaning if he sees that Israel is hanging there on the verge of catastrophe it is up to him to sound the alarm. If he doesn't and things go wrong, the blood that is spilled is on his head. Not on his hands, but his head. So can this take any meaning in our own lives? If we have a loved one sitting on top of the teeter-totter and we are on the bottom keeping them from disaster, do we get off and let them fall? Do we just disregard our call to be watchmen over those we hold dear? Never! We guide them safely down to the safety of the dirt.

Always keep playing on life's see-saw. Eventually, we'll be hanging there on the brink of crashing down and depend on someone to keep us from falling.

Stop Spinning!

2009-05-23T10:09:00.004-05:00

Sometimes it's hard to get up in the morning and take in the beauty of the spring-time. Our lives are so busy that the sights and sounds don't make it past our computer screen or around the text message that we're in the process of typing. Yesterday, I came to a big (and by big I mean HUGE) revelation that life's business can hurt you if you don't take just a little bit of time to sit still. So please, take my advice and find a quiet time daily. Just take time to breath in the air and notice the birds and the grass. Get rid of your work and your worries for just a few minutes and realize the beauty that God gives us to look at everyday.

The Wall

2009-05-22T18:09:00.008-05:00

As we go about daily life with our comings and goings, worldliness builds up a fortified wall and brings it to be our enemy. The army that is our spirit marches on the wall and has to make a decision: do we make an alliance with the ways of the wall-people and just go up and down the length of that wall everyday with hope of maybe not getting attacked or do we attack the fortifications ourselves?

What does common sense say to do? Well, we are taught these days that you should just ignore the wall. It'll eventually just disappear and fall and you won't have to think about it being there. It'll move itself with no worries......Uh Hello! Ever heard of the Great Wall of China? It hasn't gone anywhere for years and years, and I believe that spiritual walls will definitely stand stronger than any bricks and mortar. So lets view our scenarios.

Scenario #1: You are marching down life's road with your spiritual army and, lo and behold, there's the wall. You look up and see snarling and mocking faces. You see a mighty warrior standing on top whose name is Sin and he rules the wall. He has many fighters, one named Alcaholism and another named Lust who both are in the same ranks as Coveting. Sin comes down to you and threatens you with attack but gives you one scapegoat: surrender your fighters to him and follow his way. You agree and so begins the journey. Everyday you walk his walls and attack all opposition. You kill men from clans called Joy and Happiness and make sure that nobody gets over or through that wall. The truth is, you've never seen the other side of that wall, but you hear that it's good and thus you just assume that it belongs to King Sin. Later on you begin to feel like you have done plenty of work for the King, so you ask him for pay for you and your troops but he chuckles and hands you nothing in return. But since you know nothing else but fighting for King Sin, you stay with him and carry on a life of no reward...

Scenario #2: You are marching down life's road with your spiritual army and, lo and behold, there's the wall. Your army stands strong and looks up to see a warrior names King Sin staring down. He threatens you with attack but offers peace if you choose to form an alliance with him. But you know that there is a better land on the other side of that wall so you decide to attack. Sin throws all of his arsenal against you and you continue battling with him for what seems like months. The armies are at a standstill, so you call in the SKY SUPPORT to help you out with the task of defeating King Sin's army. The SUPPORT sweeps over the wall and completely obliterates every brick, every soldier, and every particle of mortar dust. You walk with ease right over the heap of rubble and look out at the beautiful land and you know that King Sin hadn't ruled anything behind that wall, but you understand why he didn't want you to get your foot in because of what you view on the other side. You see a city gleaming on the horizon and you see planes landing there. The place that you see is SKY SUPPORT.

So since we have the parable spun out lets put everything straight forward and in Layman's terms. Sin can block up ourlives and overtake our path that God (SKY SUPPORT) has put down for us to follow. Sin may not even be the road block! Anything in our lives that is put ahead of the Lord that we give in to over and over can create a wall. Sometimes it can seem insurmountable and even scary, but battling back against the attacks that this wall throws at us is the only way to make it towards fulfilling God's will. The wall can sometimes be disguised as an ally, but we have to be keen enough soldiers to see what is true.

But when we step up to fight the wall, we have to be prepared for what we're going to get thrown at us. Sex. Drugs. Alcahol. Lust. Idolatry. Any of these things can be used to try and destroy us, so it is up to us to fall on our knees and say, "God help me through!" He is the only key to victory over any of our obstacles. We have to give ourselves over and into His hands daily and live our lives for Him. SKY SUPPORT is always standing by and waiting on a call. It just takes a little bit of faith on our part to know when it is that we need to call for back up to knock down the wall for us.

"...and the wall fell down flat..."- Joshua 6:20

On Current Issues.

2009-05-21T21:49:00.000-05:00

Nobody really understands the true shape of our nation and how thrown off our moral ethics really are. Isn't it stupid that even the Creator that is mentioned in our own Constitution can barely be talked about in public without the word "Discrimination!" being shouted, unless it is stated delicately that the mentioned Creator can be whoever the public ear wants it to be. But the sad thing is, the public doesn't even want to there to be a Creator! The public doesn't want anything to do with the obvious principles that our Land was founded upon.

Americans are now SUPPOSED to say, "Taxes are good! Just take our money, Government needs it more!"

Americans are now SUPPOSED to say, "Abortion is the way to go! If we don't want it, put it to sleep."

Americans are now SUPPOSED to say, "It's just natural to have same sex marriage."

Americans are now SUPPOSED to say, "Oh, the 2nd ammendment is out dated. It died when people started shooting eachother."

Is any of this making any sense? I HOPE NOT! I could guarantee you that if someone were to get any of the forty-two signers of the Constitution out of the grave and let them watch CNN for five minutes, they would have a stroke and lay right back down!

Our founders never set strict limits on taxes in our Constitution because they figured government wouldn't be stupid enough to act like ol' King George! They never defined marriage to be between man and woman because they never imagined that it would be an issue and just figured that future Americans would have enough sense to know that it is intended to be between a man and woman! They made the second ammendment to protect our rights to our own security. And maybe the hippies were right about us being "baby killers"! The old colonials probably would have had you tarred and feathered for even speaking of abortion. Our forefathers never imagined that issues like these would even need adressing. So come on America! Find yourself! Find your true morals! Think with common sense and open your eyes to how Jefferson and Adams and Hamilton and the rest of that generation planned for things to be. Take the magnet off of your moral compass and walk straight.

Thank you,
Will Powell Watson

What's A Checkbook?

2009-05-21T21:47:00.000-05:00

As a teenager, I've been exploring my future; trying to find out what's there for me. I don't know where the roads that God has built are taking me, but I believe it is some place good. I believe I will be successful in my Faith and blessed beyond my wildest dreams if I keep God first in my life. I can do anything, take any career path, or explore any opportunity venue there is.

But there is one little problem: I don't even know how to balance a checkbook.

The people in my parents' generation learned basic life skills by the time they were sophomores in high school (i.e. balancing checkbooks, filing income tax returns, extracting loans, creating banking accounts, etc.) and I am now nearing the end of my junior year and I haven't a clue on any of these! Is there no hope for my generation?

There is, but it will definitely come at a price. Classes do not not even cover these things in their curriculm anymore. All attention is focused on state tests, rather than the old school mid terms and finals that built my mother's and father's generation. Students in Texas from third to eleventh grade are subjected to learning the skills to pass the infamous TAKS test; the "big dog" when it comes to tests in the Lone Star state. Math skills and reading skill and writing skills are based to the requirements set by the TAKS commitee or association or whatever the group is called and students must learn the tricks to passing this test. The whole school year is focused only on this notorious test and students are not even given the time or opportunity to learn the basic fundamentals that are definitely required to make it in today's society. Folks, this is a sad truth.

What happened to learning the preamble to the Constitution? Come on! One of the most important documents in American history and I'm sure 8 out of 10 in the previous generation can report "We the People" word for word for word. What happend to learning the Gettysburgh Adress? Or "The Star Spangled Banner", which 50% of my classmates do not know. Things that American youth should be taught in fourth grade are not even covered.

It saddens me to think that my generation will be blamed for what we get ourselves into in the future, but it is definitely not our fault that circumstances put us in this siuation. Do we not get the picture that our education agency is failing us? Is it not obvious? Where are our Representatives and Senators that are supposed to be reforming these issues? Are taxes all that matter in Austin or in Washington? I don't understand how our government expects to run itself on an uneducated generation that I find myself a part of.

Government is intended to be "by the people, for the people", so why aren't they training these people? The next generation is a doomed generation that will not be able to function under these education standards that legislators seem to overlook. Is America a doomed nation due to our education system? Definitely.

Mr. Legislator, where are you?

On Dreams.

2009-05-21T21:42:00.000-05:00

"To be, or not to be?"

Bill Shakesphere's cliched line has stood the tests of time and found a place in my thoughts. I just had dinner with two of my good friends and I can never help but to leave a meeting with them inspired in some new way. In a way that makes me begin pondering my life in order to find out exactly who it is that I am.

I think the effect that Mr. Shakesphere was trying to create can be translated more literally into this: "Do we dream and act, or do we just dream?" I want all of you to consider this question. I believe that we all have the ability to live up to our own dreams and I believe that nothing is unattainable as long as we persue what it is that we wish to hold.

Walt Disney, probably THE most recognized and respected dreamer in the world today, coined the phrase, "All of our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them." If you know anything about Mr. Disney, that quote is the synopsis of his life, with no doubt. I believe that he is the definition of a dream come true; a man starting a small motion picture business out of absolute poverty and rising to become more well known than Uncle Sam himself. He was a man of true courage and a man of pure ambition that never found himself down and out. He stood up to the hindrances that threatened to end his dream, rather than finding a way around them. Is that not a true dreamer?

"To be, or not to be?"

Statistics show that about 1 in every 150 people are working the job that they wished for as a kid, meaning that 149 people were too afraid to risk it all in the persuit of their dream. This statistic upsets and disturbs me because this shows the conforming nature of mankind. We as human beings are taught in this day and age that we should reach for the realistic, for the job or career that we know that we can get. I was told today what it is that I should be by quite a smart man, but why should I conform to what a mere man believes I should be? Why should I follow the path that someone else sets for me? I am here to say that I will not conform to the belief of man, for I set a higher goal for myself: I set a DREAM.

I am a dreamer and you are a dreamer. We all dream and we all wish for the things that man tells us are impossible, but we cannot trust man. Trust your love. Trust your passion and your pride and your ambition. Trust God. Set a path and don't fear where it takes you. If your dream is at the end, keep pushing ahead until you get there. Is it not more satisfying to achieve a dream that comes from blood and sweat than to be handed one on a silver platter? If we were to be handed our dreams on on a silver platter, we would all be kings. God gave us dreams for the fulfillment of mankind, so that we may learn to turn to Him when things seem too tough for us to accomplish.

I encourage all to search your heart and mind and soul and find your true dream and begin right now working for it. All is attainable and all that is attainable is waiting. It is waiting for us to begin the journey of our lifetime: the journey of our true dream. I pray that all of you will realize your true dream and act on it as if tomorrow is never going to appear. Find your dream and do not burry it, but invest it into the lives of all who see you and let your dream be an inspiration to all of mankind.

"To be, or not to be?"

Thank you,
Will Watson