So far, my project is still going great. I still tutor in the House of Studies, Monday thru Wednesday. I even have some personal relationships with some of the students that come to be tutored. I had the opportunity to speak with one boy’s mom and that was really nice. I love tutoring the kids but I love just engaging in conversation with them even more. The children that come are so full of life and they are friendly and not shy, which is a good thing. We talk about what they do on the weekends, field trips, and even getting in trouble. A few times they’ve finished their homework early and we played Uno and that was fun; being around kids makes me feel like a kid and I could use a breather from seventeen credit hours. I hope that I am making a positive impression on them because they are making one on me for sure. I learned that sometimes it is okay to take a break and just relax. I feel so bad for watching television, knowing I have to study Organic or write these blogs, but I learned that breaks are necessary to keep your piece of mind, as long as they are not excessive. I still have to get my work done in a timely fashion (which is not going too well with these blogs). I have also seen the kids be friendly to each other instead of staying to themselves or only talking to their siblings because most of the students that attend tutoring come with their brother or sister. Since the most of the kids do not attend the same school, I think it is a great for them to make new friends and see different people. I even got one of the students to try and help me with my Physics homework. He read the first problem and walked away. He told me that I would have to wait until he reaches the college level before I ask him anymore questions. Moments like that are memorable to me because we had fun that day. Personally, I have met new people too. I went in not knowing all the tutors there but now we talk all the time so the Homework Clinic helps the tutors and the students being tutored.
According to the Deuteronomistic Historian, a good king is someone who follows God. All the kings that had a terrible downfall, in some way, did not follow God’s orders. For example, Josiah is one of Judah’s greatest kings and he followed every word of God with all his heart. Another example, Jehu murders all the descendents of Ahab because God told him to and he was blessed by God. A good king should also fight for his country. Jehu was the commander of King Joram’s army before he became king. The majority of the kings renowned as “good” fought in a battle to protect the country and its people. For example, David fought Goliath with bravery when the entire Israelite army was afraid. The people of Israel were praising him before he even became king. Wisdom is another characteristic of a good king. An excellent example would be Solomon. When God asked him what he wanted, he answered wisdom and God gave it to him.
I do not know whether the Deuteronomisitc Historian would approve of George W. Bush or not. It seems as if he has some of the qualities and lacks others. For example, President Bush does fight for his country. We have been at war for the majority, if not all, of his presidency. There is a lot of speculation about his direct motives, some saying the wars are about oil, some say weapons of mass destruction, and some say that he is trying to finish what his father once started. Whatever the reason, it still stands that this country’s armed forces have been fighting for our rights and freedoms (and those of other countries too). However, I do not think President Bush has much wisdom. He must be intelligent because he was able to be elected president. However, I think a very big part of his decisions come from people around him. In my opinion, he is not a good speaker and this may add to why he seems as if he lacks the wisdom that a leader should have.
Arguably, one of the greatest kings of Israel is David. Although he put into action many reforms, his indiscretions were not to be overlooked. The worst thing that David did was commit adultery and murder. He summons one of his most loyal soldiers’ wife named Bathsheba and he has sex with her. As a result, she becomes pregnant and David tries to say the baby belongs to Uriah, although he was at war. David devised a plan to have Uriah come from war and immediately sleep with his wife but following the rules of God, Uriah refuses because he is supposed to ritually pure. Feeling as though no other choice was left, David had Uriah killed in battle. I feel this was the worse thing he did because he slept with another man’s wife. As the king, he probably could have any available woman he chose but instead, he chose one that was taken. To make matters worse, her husband is an honorable soldier that is fighting a war for David. He tries repeatedly to trick Uriah, but Uriah follows the laws of God. Then on top of the worse matters, David has Uriah killed in battle. Uriah died not defending his country but because his king made a horrible decision.
A prophet’s job was to predict the future, advise leaders, enact change, perform symbolic acts, and declare oracles. While I may not declare any oracles or perform any symbolic acts, I think I have all the other qualifications. With my project, I predict the future by trying now to help kids stay in school and not waiting for them to become uninterested in school. It will be harder to regain their interest than it will be to keep their interest. I advise leaders with my project because the Homework Clinic is featured in newspapers and I have sent letters to important government officials. I enact change by tutoring the students and hopefully they do the same for other students. I also enact change by getting my friends involved in the Homework Clinic.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 2nd, 2007 at 12:35 am and is filed under Project Progress, Week 09: Implementation. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.