Richard O. Jones

Youths are being tempted to squander their future for the roar of the crowd. In the Bible the devil took Jesus to the mountaintop and offered him an opportunity to have people bow at his feet if only Jesus would worship him. That's what the world is offering our youth and they are yielding to the temptation. No sensible adult would sit and read a book as a child drowns in a lake ten feet away because it's not their child - plus it's a good book. Neither can we continue to sit idly by as our youth aspire to put their astute minds on the back burner while they fashion themselves in a matter focused on popularity.

For centuries the church has been our refuge. Even now, many of the youth in the church are allowed to be involved in the choir and praise dancing, which is good but only a small percentage of African American students, according to the annual national record card put out by the Department of Education, are good in arithmetic, reading, and writing. Yet they excel in praising God; however, I think that praising God includes living up to your fullest god-given potential, including academic potential. Unfortunately, our children are given our blessings as they allow their proficient brains to go unchallenged.

I belong to a self-published author writers' group called The Literary Soul Food Café www.literarysoulfoodcafe.com  and we are willing to assist young aspiring authors in reaching their fullest literary potential at no charge. If you are aware of a preteen or teenage student who loves writing short stories or poems, have their parents contact me.

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