One thing I would thing I would change about my past

If I could change one thing that has previously happened in my  life, it would be moving from Parma back to Lorain. Moving here has had a lot pros and cons like the Early College program and finding House of Praise, but the people I've spent a largest portion of my childhood are farther than you would think. We spent years building up expectations of high school and ended up not going to the same school. Being far away, one misses out on lots of things, which can be unpleasant. It is like talking about two different things at the same time. Then again, when we do actually spend time together its like picking up right where we left off yet refreshing at the same time. 

Another reason I miss Parma is I knew where everything was and had a couple connections. I knew who to talk to and where to go to get whatever I needed. Here in Lorain, I'm so lost and don't know very many people. It is like the never-ending first day of school. Honestly, it is a little bit intimidating here, there is like a huge circle of everybody that knows everybody and I'm just standing outside of it. 

Favorite Activity/Hobby

My favorite activity that isn't sleeping, eating or listening to music would have to be talking to Jesus. We talk daily and never run out of things to talk about. He is so good to me! I just have to tell Him, I just cannot thank Him enough for EVERYTHING. We can talk for hours on end. Sometimes He has to deal with my complaints and stubbornness, but it is okay because He is forgiving, understanding and loving.  He can be like whatever is missing from my life, all at once. I can cry on His shoulder, casting my insecurities on Him or just tell Him things that I feel I can't tell anyone without being judged. The thing about Jesus is He desires a relationship with us. Sometimes I think, "That's the least we owe Him for what He did for us". Another thing about Him is He actually took the form of flesh and wentthrough life as a human, when He really didnt have too. He did it to actually go through some things we have to go through to understand us better, leave an example of how to live and die so we can have eternal life. And those simple facts never cease to amaze me. He knows what it is like to be tempted or have His faith tested which is why He is so understanding! I trust His experience and that's another reason I find it so easy to talk to Him. He does know it all already, but He likes it when we tell Him things. And for these reasons, talking to Jesus is my favorite thing to do.

      Israel Houghton      

Favorite Music.

  I would have to say my favorite music is Christian and Gospel. I used to listen to all types of music, R&B, Soul, Hip-Hop, Alternative, but as my relationship with the Lord progressed He showed me how those kinds of music were and are not appropriate . At first, it was extremely hard for me. That was the music I grew up on, the only thing I knew! I had a lot of help and support from members of my church. They introduced me to differen artists and sounds that were similiar or influnced by some of the music i used to listen to which helped a lot.

Secular, or worldly, music is negative and goes against many of the things I believe in. It promotes messages of hate and violence, use of illegal substances, degrades women, and many other things and what kind of Christian would I be encouraging that type of behavior? Chritian music is my favorite, because it is the complete opposite. It glorifies God, has messages of positivity and thanksgiving, can be relatable to things you're going through and it helps staying "in the world but not being of it".

Right now my favorite artist is Israel Houghton because I enjoy his voice, his lyrics come from a real place, and he doesn't stay within the boundaries of "Gospel" or "Christian" music. He has some popular, hip hop, r&b, even raggae influenced songs (musically, not lyrically of course) which is probably why I'm so drawn to his music. He is known for creating and leading the infamous group, Israel & New Breed and they are known for songs like: " You Are Good", "Not Forgotten", "Te Amo", " Say So", "Friend of God', and many, many more.

Should The Government Provide Free Child Day Care?

I believe the government should provide childcare for WORKING parents. Yes, there is the possibility of some people finding a way to take advantage of it, but it would be extremely beneficial to many other people. Parents run into problems (that are sometimes out of their control), and finding (reliable) childcare can negatively impact them in many ways. Free childcare should be provided so they can have a safe place to take their children in the event of situations that may occur which do not allow them to take off work and stay home with their child(ren. If the parent does not have a safe place to take their child and has to keep taking off work they are at risk of losing their employment on account of non-attendance and not getting compensated for the days missed which can negatively impact the household. With the state of the economy, middle-lower income families deserve as much assistance as they can get. If these families can be assisted it can create a stable envirment in the home, and in the long run the children being helped will positively impact society.