My name is Luis and this is my testimony. Growing up, I would say I had a great childhood. I've always had a loving mother that would do her best to keep me on track. However, not having a father figure my whole life always left a void. I had uncles I looked up to [...]
I was born and raised into a gang family. As a young kid, I glorified my gang member uncles, I wanted to be just like them, respected by everyone. As a teenager I hung out with the wrong crowd. I smoked marijuana and it progressed to ecstasy in order to stay alert. Then I was [...]
Growing up, alcohol was an accepted source of comfort in my family. I began underage drinking, which was tolerated on weekends and holidays. Weed and hallucinogens were my drugs of choice in High School, although I kept those hidden as best I could. I attended Christian High School all 4 years, but fancied myself a [...]
Part of life is confronting fear now and then. Whether it is a poor health diagnosis, a turbulent flight, a car accident, speaking in public, a home invasion or even a scary amusement park ride, we've all experienced the sweaty, jittery, heart pounding experience. Fight or flight over takes us and makes us feel like [...]
Weeds are the unwanted plants that grow in your yard. They pop up suddenly and grow fast. A weed can start out innocent looking, maybe even have a pretty flower, but if left to grow, it can spread out taking over your entire garden; choking out all the other plants and robbing them of nutrients. [...]
I would consider myself a perfectionist. I can hear my dad's words echo in my mind, "if you can't do it right, then don't do it at all". When I set out on project or task, I strive for perfection. This has hindered me many times. If I don't think something is as perfect as [...]
Have you ever started out on something and quit before you received the reward of your efforts? Often times we start something, get frustrated, feel like we aren't getting where we want fast enough and give up. Giving up robs us of the future of our efforts. No matter what the situation might be, perseverance [...]
Most of us take our lives for granted. Most of us don't stop to think how we received life or why. We know the biological process of conception, but have we thought beyond that? What about your chances of being born? First you have to consider women have only so many eggs and limited child [...]
There's an earthquake and your favorite vase fell off the shelf. You look down at all the pieces and feel like you're looking at your life on the floor. You fall apart. You feel like you have no control over outcomes. The life you planned isn't the life you're living. Sometimes the choices we make [...]
When we think of freedom, maybe we envision the last day of school as a child with our entire summer ahead of us, free to do as we wish, without the schedule of school. Perhaps we see ourselves running through a meadow without a care in the world. Maybe freedom is moving out of our [...]
