White Birch Martial Arts

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Larry Vincent's Classes Get You Lean, Strong, Fast, and Focused with "Old School" Training Methods Straight Out of Kung Fu/Tai Chi History!




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White Birch

Martial Arts Character Development (MACD)

"Such human qualities as morality, compassion, decency, wisdom and so forth have been the foundations of all civilizations. These qualities must be cultivated and sustained through systematic moral education in a conductive social environment, so that a more humane world may emerge." --His Holiness the Dalai Lama

MACD is a character development program where we ask our students to perform -- and log in journals -- six theme-based "tasks" in order to specifically learn the moral traits of a martial artist. You will be �tasked� to accomplish challenging, but obtainable goals that will help you learn about nine different and very important black belt character traits, skills and attributes. The objective of the program is to have a significant, positive impact on our student's behavior outside of our school. The program is administered through the completion of six journals. Each task is assigned to a children's program belt level in our system, with children required to complete journals for rank advancement. Adults are encouraged to participate as they desire, but are not required to do so.

"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved." -- Helen Keller

The tasks within the MACD Program are arranged to first teach the way others should be treated, with the morals of Courtesy, Respect, Generosity, and Teamwork. Then the tasks teach the way you should treat yourself, with Patience, Perseverance, and Self Discipline. The final two tasks are the culimination of how you treat both yourself and others, teaching Leadership and Knowledge.

The benefits of MACD include:

Our school motivates our student, through the MACD Program, to "take action." We are proud to have available to us the most practical, quantifiable and intelligent character development program available for young people today. Our program will have a profound affect on our student's behaviors, habits and motivation.

"When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost." --Billy Graham

Below is a description of the six tasks that the student performs within the MACD program.




LORD, on the basis of Your Word, I ask that you spread Your protection over me this day. Keep me from all harm, and watch over my life. Watch over my coming and my going both now and forevermore. Be a wall of fire around me, Lord. Let Your favor surround me like a shield. Give Your angels charge over me to guard me in all of my ways. Thank You, Lord, that Your angels are encamped all around me � to rescue and deliver me from all evil, harm, destruction, disease, and defeat!

Amen

Christian Resources...


Level 1: Courtesy, Respect, Generosity

Definition:

Courtesy: polite behavior

Respect: to treat someone or something as if it's valuable

Generosity: giving willingly

Homework:

To learn the morals of Courtesy, Respect, and Generosity, the student is to perform 50 acts of courtesy, kindness and respect. Credit is only given for a specific act twice to encourage the student to perform a wide variety of acts.

Example acts are:

  • Send an encouragement card to someone you know who might need one.
  • Write a Thank-You note to someone for something they said or did.
  • Hand write letters or cards to friends or family.
  • Send someone a small gift anonymosly.
  • Return a shopping cart to the store.
  • Compliment someone on their clothes.
  • Compliment someone on an achievement.
  • Take care of a gravesite.
  • Treat your local police officer or fireman to coffee.
  • Write something nice about your waiter or waitress on the back of your bill.
  • Write a note of encouragement to someone who has just received sad news.
  • Hug your dog or cat and feed your fish.
  • Open a door for someone.
  • Say "Yes Sir" or "Yes Ma'am" when responding
  • Say "Please" and "Thank you" when responding
  • Donate food, clothing, or toys to a charity.
  • Volunteer to provide gifts or food to a needy family.
  • Walk a neighbor's dog.

Creed:

I will respect the rights, feelings and property of myself and others. To this end, I will show respect to myself and others in appearance, speech and actions.

Prayer:

Lord, teach me to be generous. Teach me to serve you as you deserve; to give and not to count the cost, to fight and not to heed the wounds, to toil and not to seek for rest, to labor and not to ask for reward, save that of knowing that I do your will.

Amen

Quotations:

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. -- Romans 12:10

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; -- Philippians 2:3

And opening his mouth, Peter said: "I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right, is welcome to Him. -- Acts 10:34-35

"Therefore, however you want people to treat you, so treat them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. -- Matthew 7:12

Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the LORD. -- Leviticus 19:32

However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. -- Ephesians 5:33

A man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor. -- Proverbs 29:23

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. -- 2 Corinthians 9:6-7

If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. -- 1 Timothy 5:8

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. -- Ephesians 4:31-32

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. "Honor your father and mother" � which is the first commandment with a promise � "that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth" -- Ephesians 6:1-3

Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king. -- 1 Peter 2:17

For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of men. -- 2 Corinthians 8:21

For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." -- Luke 18:9-14

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death � even death on a cross! -- Philippians 2:3-11

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. -- Colossians 3:12-13

He answered: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'[a]; and, 'Love your neighbour as yourself.' -- Luke 10:27

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. -- Mark 10:45

"And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased." -- Hebrews 13:16

But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." -- Luke 6:35-38;42

Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. -- Colossians 3:13

If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,[b] but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. -- 1 Corinthians 13

"Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" -- Luke 11:1-13

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times." "Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.' The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. "But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded. "His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.' "But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened. "Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart." -- Matthew 18:21-35

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. -- Matthew 5:3-12

LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill? He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman, who despises a vile man but honors those who fear the LORD, who keeps his oath even when it hurts, who lends his money without usury and does not accept a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken. -- Psalm 15

Sensible people control their temper; they earn respect by overlooking wrongs. -- Proverbs 19:11

"Do to others what you would have them do to you." -- Matthew 7:12

"People who matter are most aware that everyone else does, too." -- Malcolm Forbes

"It is a good idea to be ambitious, to have goals, to want to be good at what you do, but it is a terrible mistake to let drive and ambition get in the way of treating people with kindness and decency. The point is not that they will then be nice to you. It is that you will feel better about yourself." -- Robert Solow

The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good. --Samuel Johnson

All of us do not have equal talent, but all of us should have as an equal opportunity to develop our talents. -- John F. Kennedy

"People are unreasonable, illogical and self-centered. Love them anyway. If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Do good anyway. If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway. Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank anyway." -- Robert Schuller

'Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.' -- Lau Tzu.

"No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave." -- Calvin Coolidge

"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved." -- Helen Keller

"A loving person lives in a loving world. A hostile person lives in a hostile world. Everyone you meet is your mirror." -- Ken Keys

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." -- Martin Luther King, Jr.

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a little better; whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is the meaning of success." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"This above all; to thine own self be true." -- William Shakespeare

"The soul that is within me no man can degrade." -- Frederick Douglas

"Each time you are honest and conduct yourself with honesty, a success force will drive you toward greater success. Each time you lie, even with a little white lie, there are strong forces pushing you toward failure." -- Joseph Sugarman

"Write the bad things that are done to you in sand, but write the good things that happen to you on a piece of marble." -- Arabic Parable

"No one is so generous as he who has nothing to give." -- French Proverb

"The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit." -- Nelson Henderson

"Generosity is not giving me that which I need more than you do, but it is giving me that which you need more than I do." -- Kahlil Gibran

"Rather fail with honor than succeed by fraud." -- Sophocles

"Good manners will open doors that the best education cannot." -- Clarence Thomas (1948 - )

When the character of a man is not clear to you, look at his friends. -- Japanese Proverb

"Regard your good name as the richest jewel you can possibly be possessed of - for credit is like fire; when once you have kindled it you may easily preserve it, but if you once extinguish it, you will find it an arduous task to rekindle it again. The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear." -- Socrates (469 BC - 399 BC)

"You cannot do a kindness too soon because you never know how soon it will be too late." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Generosity lies less in giving much than in giving at the right moment." -- Jean de la Bruyere

"You can tell more about a person by what he says about others than you can by what others say about him." -- Leo Aikman

As we grow as unique persons, we learn to respect the uniqueness of others. -- Robert H. Schuller

The best place to find a helping hand is at the end of your own arm. -- Swedish Proverb

We must not give only what we have; we must give what we are. -- Cardinal Mercia

Manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others. If you have that awareness, you have good manners, no matter what fork you use. -- Emily Post

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Level 2: Teamwork

Definition:

Cooperative effort by the members of a group to achieve a common goal.

Homework:

To learn the moral of Teamwork, the student is to perform 50 acts demonstrating his/her ability to work with others to complete a common goal. Credit is only given for a specific act twice to encourage the student to perform a wide variety of acts.

Example acts are:

  • Help rake your neighbors yard without being asked.
  • Help shovel or sweep your driveway or neighbor's without being asked.
  • Help with laundry or do the laundry without being asked.
  • Help with your brother's or sister's chores.
  • Do some chore for your mom or dad that they would never expect you to do.
  • Wash your parent's car without being asked.
  • Pick up trash in your yard or your neighbor's yard.
  • Clean your room without being asked.
  • Clean up the dishes without being asked.
  • Help set the table for dinner
  • Take out the garbage
  • Pick up your toys, books, and papers when you're done with them.

Creed:

I know that I need others to help me succeed. I will be trustworthy, reliable and truthful to those around me so that we may all build a strong and happy community.

Prayer:

You have created us to live in community, O God of love; bless our friends who provide us with the grace and love of an extended family. Endow them with the riches of your blessings: good health, sight, and mobility, that they may enjoy the wonders of your creation and share their delight with others. Bless them with keen minds and compassionate hearts that they may create a better life for all. Guard them from injustice, oppression, and evil that they may know freedom and hope lifelong. In their waking and in their sleeping, in their laughter and in their tears, surround them with your love until the end of their days; and so bring them to eternal life in peace. Through Jesus Christ, our Savior.

Amen.

Quotations:

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. -- Proverbs 27:17

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their hard work. For if one of them should fall, the other one can raise his partner up. But how will it be with just the one who falls when there is not another to raise him up? -- Ecclesiastes 4:9,10

And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do." -- Genesis 11:6

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! -- Psalms 133:1

Where no counsel is, the people fall; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety. -- Proverbs 11:14

If somebody could overpower one alone, two together could make a stand against him. And a threefold cord cannot quickly be torn in two. -- Ecclesiastes 4:12

We, though, who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those not strong, and not to be pleasing ourselves. Let each of us please [his] neighbor in what is good for [his] upbuilding -- Romans 15:1-2

Now I exhort YOU, brothers, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that YOU should all speak in agreement, and that there should not be divisions among YOU, but that YOU may be fitly united in the same mind and in the same line of thought. -- 1 Corinthians 1:10

"If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it." -- 1 Corinthians 12:26.

As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, �I have no need of you,� nor again the head to the feet, �I have no need of you.� On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. -- 1 Corinthians 12:20-25

We ought therefore to show hospitality to such men so that we may work together for the truth. -- 3 John 1:8

"Do to others what you would have them do to you." -- Matthew 7:12

Snowflakes are one of nature's most fragile things, but just look what they can do when they stick together. -- Vesta M. Kelly

"One player practicing sportsmanship is far better than 50 preaching it." -- Knute Rockne

"The important thing to recognize is that it takes a team, and the team ought to get credit for the wins and the losses. Successes have many fathers, failures have none." -- Philip Caldwell

"Show me a man who cannot bother to do little things and I'll show you a man who cannot be trusted to do big things." -- Lawrence Bell

"The measure of a man's real character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out." -- Thomas B. Macaulay

The world is not moved only by the mighty shoves of the heroes, but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker. -- Helen Keller

"The work of the individual still remains the spark that moves mankind ahead even more than teamwork." -- Igor Sikorsky

"Put together all the existing families and you have society. It is as simple as that. Whatever kind of training took place in the individual family will be reflected in the kind of society that these families create." -- Virginia Satir

Many scraps make a lot; fox furs, sewn together, make a fine robe. -- Chinese Proverb

One person is not as wise as two together. -- Chinese Proverb

We travel together, passengers on a little space ship, dependent on its vulnerable reserves of air and soil; all committed for our safety to its security and peace; preserved from annihilation only by the care, the work, and, I will say, the love we give our fragile craft. -- Adlai E. Stevenson

"I know we're termites. But if all the termites got together, the house would fall down." -- Florynce R. Kennedy

"Alone you are weak. Together you are strong. " -- Philip Dunne

"Every community is an association of some kind and every community is established with a view to some good; for everyone always acts in order to obtain that which they think good. But, if all communities aim at some good, the state or political community, which is the highest of all, and which embraces all the rest, aims at good in a greater degree than any other, and at the highest good." -- Aristotle

"Competition has been shown to be useful up to a certain point and no further, but cooperation, which is the thing we must strive for today, begins where competition leaves off." -- Franklin D. Roosevelt

"All your strength is in your union, All your danger is in discord; Therefore be at peace henceforward, And as brothers live together." -- Henry Wadsworth Longellow, The Song of Hiawatha. Part i.

"The only way to have a friend is to be one. " -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Level 3: Patience and Perseverance

Definition:

Patience: Good-natured tolerance of delay

Perseverance: Never giving up

Homework:

To learn the morals of Patience and Perseverance, the student is required to perform, over time, 1000 repetitions or a front or roundhouse kick. They should learn to take a supposedly insurmountable goal and break it up into manageable pieces and to keep working even though the goal seems far off.

Creed:

When faced with a mountain, I will not quit. I will find a path over, tunnel underneath, or simply stay and turn the mountain into a gold mine. I am a winner.

Prayer:

Father, You bless those who revere Your name and delight in Your commands. In the midst of inner turmoil or outer conflict I will not be shaken for my heart remains steadfast trusting in You and Your overall plan for my life. I want to remain firmly grounded as I overcome the daily obstacles common to all who live on earth. Help me to learn the valuable lessons along the way as I press on toward the goal for which You have called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Amen.

Quotations:

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. -- James 1:12-13

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength. -- Philippians 4:11-13

Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. -- 1 Corinthians 15:58

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." -- Deuteronomy 31:6

Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don�t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper�it only leads to harm. For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land. -- Psalm 37:7-9

I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. -- Psalm 40:1

But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. -- Isaiah 40:31

A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel. -- Proverbs 15:18

We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don�t need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don�t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.) -- Romans 8:24-25

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. -- Romans 12:12

For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus. -- Romans 15:4-5

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. -- Galatians 6:9

Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other�s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. -- Colossians 3:12-13

We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. -- Hebrews 6:12

And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. -- 1 Thessalonians 5:14

Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near. -- James 5:7-8

This means that God�s holy people must endure persecution patiently, obeying his commands and maintaining their faith in Jesus. -- Revelation 14:12

�Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.� -- 1 Corinthians 9:24

�Though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again.� -- Proverbs 24:16

�Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men.� -- Proverbs 22:19

�But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.� -- 2 Chronicles 15:7

�Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.� -- Hebrews 12:1

�Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.� -- Galatians 6:9

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. -- Romans 5:3-4

I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. -- Revelation 2:2

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. -- 2 Peter 1:5-7

I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first. -- Revelation 2:19

because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. -- James 1:3

As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. -- James 5:11

You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. -- Revelation 2:3

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. -- 1 Corinthians 13:6-7

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway, it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey. He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They each grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement, he quieted down. A few shovel loads later, the farmer looked down the well, and was astonished at what he saw. As every shovel of dirt hit his back, the donkey did something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up. As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed, as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off. The Moral: Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a stepping stone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up! -- Anon.

"If you don't fail now and again, it's a sign you're playing it safe." -- Woody Allen

"The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain." -- Dolly Parton

I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great and noble. -- Helen Keller

Don't measure a man's success by how high he climbs but how high he bounces when he hits bottom. -- General George S. Patton

"It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect it's successful outcome," -- William James

"Challenge is a dragon with a gift in its mouth... Tame the dragon and the gift is yours." -- Noela Evans

"Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it." -- Lee Holz

"Stand up to your obstacles and do something about them. You will find that they haven't half the strength you think they have." -- Norman Vincent Peale

"Ninety-nine percent of failures come from people who have a habit of making excuses." -- George Washington Carver

"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. " -- Sir Winston Churchill

"Difficulties are meant to rouse, not discourage. The human spirit is to grow strong by conflict." -- William Ellery Channing

"Life does not require us to be the biggest or the best, it asks only that we try." -- Anonymous

"The problem is not that there are problems. The problem is expecting otherwise and thinking that having problems is a problem." -- Theodore Rubin

"My interest is in the future because I am going to spend the rest of my life there." -- Charles Kettering

"There are two ways of meeting difficulties: you alter the difficulties or you alter yourself meeting them." -- Phyllis Bottome

"Victory belongs to the most persevering." -- Napoleon Bonaparte

"For every difficulty that supposedly stops a person from succeeding there are thousands who have had it a lot worse and have succeeded anyway." -- Brian Tracy

"Four little words sum up what has lifted most successful individuals above the crowd: 'a little bit more.' They did all that was expected of them and a little bit more." -- Lou Vickery

"We can do anything we want if we stick to it long enough." -- Helen Keller

"Effort only fully releases its reward after a person refuses to quit." -- Napoleon Hill

Winners never quit and quitters never win. -- Anon.

"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'press on' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race." -- Calvin Coolidge

"Diamonds are nothing more than chunks of coal that stuck to their jobs." -- Malcolm Stevenson Forbes

"Defeat never comes to any man until he admits it." -- Josephus Daniels

"The majority of men meet with failure because of their lack of persistence in creating new plans to take the place of those which fail." -- Napoleon Hill

"Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly." -- Robert Francis Kennedy

"The only time you don't fail is the last time you try anything -- and it works." -- William Strong

"Defeat is not the worst of failures. Not to have tried is the true failure." -- George E. Woodberry

"Conquering any difficulty always gives one a secret joy, for it means pushing back a boundary-line and adding to one's liberty." -- Henri Fr�d�ric Amiel

"Every problem has a gift for you in its hands." -- Richard Bach

"Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents, which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant." -- Horace

"The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value. I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death." -- Thomas Paine

"The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing." -- John Powell

"The best way to escape from a problem is to solve it." -- Alan Saporta

"Fall seven times, stand up eight." -- Japanese Proverb

"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." -- Confucius

"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at best, knows the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat." -- Theodore Roosevelt, "Citizen in a Republic", April 23, 1910

"Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all." -- Dale Carnegie

"It's the constant and determined effort that breaks down resistance, sweeps away all obstacles." -- Claude M. Bristol

"Courage and perseverance have a magical talisman, before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish into air." -- John Quincy Adams (1767 - 1848)

"You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do." -- Eleanor Roosevelt (1884 - 1962)

"Act as if it were impossible to fail." -- Dorothea Brande

"This thing that we call 'failure' is not the falling down, but the staying down." -- Mary Pickford (1893 - 1979)

"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm." -- Sir Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965)

"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up." -- Thomas A. Edison (1847 - 1931)

"If you want to increase your success rate, double your failure rate." -- Thomas Watson, Sr.

Lack of patience in small matters can create havoc in great ones. -- Chinese Proverb

He who knows patience knows peace. -- Chinese Proverb

"Knowing trees, I understand the meaning of patience. Knowing grass, I can appreciate persistence." -- Hal Borland

"Great difficulties may be surmounted by patience and perseverance." -- Abigail Adams

Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow. -- Helen Keller

"Courage is the price that Life exacts for granting peace." -- Amelia Earhart (1897 - 1937), Courage, 1927

"Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear." -- Mark Twain (1835 - 1910)

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Level 4: Self Discipline

Definition:

the ability to make yourself do what you should do when you should do it, whether you feel like it or not.

Homework:

To learn the moral of Self Discipline, the student is required to excel in one area of physical fitness: pushups, sit-ups, or flexibility. The student is required to reach the Excellent category for the exercise involved for his or her age.

Creed:

I believe that if I work hard, I will succeed; I will strive to achieve my personal best in every endeavor.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, I pray Dear God that you will plant self control in me that will help me grow up like a tree of strength. I pray that you will help me rein in my passions, desires and emotions and make them subject to your Spirit. Please give me the self-discipline I need.

Amen.

Quotations:

"for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds to the promise for the present life and also for the life to come" -- 1 Tim 4:8

Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. -- 1 Peter 1:13-16

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God � this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is � his good, pleasing and perfect will. -- Romans 12:1,2

For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. -- Hebrews 12:11

A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls. -- Proverbs 25:28

The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied. -- Proverbs 13:4

"He will die for lack of discipline, led astray by his own great folly." -- Proverbs 5:23

"For these commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the corrections of discipline are the way to life" -- Proverbs 6:23

"He who heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray." -- Proverbs 10:17

"Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid." -- Proverbs 12:1

"He who ignores discipline comes to poverty and shame, but whoever heeds correction is honored" -- Proverbs 13:18

"A fool spurns his father's discipline, but whoever heeds correction shows prudence." -- Proverbs 15:5

"He who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding." -- Proverbs 15:32

'Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.' -- Mark Twain.

"Self-discipline is when your conscience tells you to do something and you don't talk back." -- W.K. Hope

"You can't cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water." -- Rabindranath Tagore

"When a man is sufficiently motivated, discipline will take care of itself." -- Albert Einstein

"There is no such thing as failure, only results." -- Anthony Robbins

"The purest intentions, the finest sense of devotion, the noblest spiritual aspirations are fatuous when not realized in action." -- Abraham Joshua Heschel

"The time is always right to do what is right." -- Martin Luther King Jr.

"Confidence....thrives only on honesty, on honor, on the sacredness of obligations, on faithful protection and on unselfish performance. Without them, it cannot live." -- Franklin D. Roosevelt

"Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it." -- Henry David Thoreau

"When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost." --Billy Graham

"The only real limitation on your abilities is the level of your desires. If you want it badly enough, there are no limits on what you can achieve." -- Brian Tracy

"Many people dream of success. To me, success can only be achieved through repeated failure and introspection." -- Soichiro Honda

"I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; I will not refuse to do something I can do." -- Helen Keller

"Eighty percent of success is showing up." -- Woody Allen

"You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don't try." -- Beverly Sills

"Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right." -- Henry Ford

"A great deal of talent is lost to the world for want of a little courage. Every day sends to their graves obscure men whose timidity prevented them from making a first effort." -- Sydney Smith

"He is able who thinks he is able." -- Buddha

"The fearless are merely fearless. People who act in spite of their fear are truly brave." -- James A. LaFond-Lewis, November 11, 1999

"Good, better, best; never let it rest till your good is better and your better is best." -- Anon.

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." -- Aristotle

"Success will not lower its standard to us. We must raise our standard to success." -- Rev. Randall R. McBride, Jr.

"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal." -- Henry Ford

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." -- Confucius

"'We must do something' is the unanimous refrain. 'You begin' is the deadening refrain." -- Walter Dwight, The Saving Sense

"There are no shortcuts to any place worth going." -- Anon.

"Even if you are on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." -- Will Rogers

"We aim above the mark to hit the mark." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"It is good to have an end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters in the end." -- Ursula K. LeGuin

"Many an opportunity is lost because a man is out looking for four-leaf clovers." -- Anon.

"A person who aims at nothing is sure to hit it." -- Anon.

"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars." -- Les Brown

"The roots of true achievement lie in the will to become the best that you can become." -- Harold Taylor

"The whole world steps aside for the man who knows where he is going." -- Anon.

"He who angers you conquers you." -- Elizabeth Kenny

"Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt." -- William Shakespeare

"Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy." -- Norman Vincent Peale (1898 - 1993)

"Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear." -- Ambrose Redmoon

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Level 5: Leadership

Definition:

the act of ruling, guiding or inspiring others

Homework:

To learn the moral of Leadership, the student assists in teaching or mentoring other students or siblings in a significant endeavor, 9 times.

Creed:

I will strive to better myself and inspire those around me so that I may become a more valued citizen of my city, state, and country.

Prayer:

Dear God, I think of the ways that I am a leader in my life. I am willing to be a good leader. Please feed me, God, on your wisdom and your understanding, for my good and the good of all I serve. Let me recognise and take the authority that is mine to take. I am willing to be blessed by you and be a blessing to others. Thank you God for guiding me every step of the way.

Amen.

Quotations:

Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church? -- 1 Timothy 3:2-7,12

Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety. -- Proverbs 11:14

The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out. -- Proverbs 10:9

The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful. -- Proverbs 12:22

Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. -- Luke 16:10

In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us. -- Titus 2:7-8

You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine. Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us. -- Titus 2:1-8

The godly offer good counsel; they teach right from wrong. -- Psalm 37:30

That you may retain your self-respect, it is better to displease the people by doing what you know is right, than to temporarily please them by doing what you know is wrong. -- William J. H. Boetcker

"When one teaches, two learn." -- Robert Half

"It is one of the beautiful compensations of this life that no one can sincerely try to help another without helping himself." -- Charles Dudley Warner

"A man carries his success or his failure with him... it does not depend on outside conditions...." -- Ralph Waldo Trine

"The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches, but to reveal to him his own." -- Benjamin Disraeli

"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great." -- Mark Twain

"A real leader faces the music, even when he doesn't like the tune." -- Anon.

"Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it." -- Dwight D Eisenhower

"The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind him in other men the conviction and the will to carry on." -- Walter Lippmann

"The ultimate leader is one who is willing to develop people to the point that they eventually surpass him or her in knowledge and ability." -- Fred A. Manske, Jr.

"Few things can help an individual more than to place responsibility on him, and to let him know that you trust him." -- Booker T. Washington

"It is not fair to ask of others what you are not willing to do yourself." -- Eleanor Roosevelt

"You get the best out of others when you give the best of yourself." -- Harry Firestone

"If you would thoroughly know anything, teach it to others." -- Tryon Edwards (1809 - 1894)

"Leaders don't create followers. They create more leaders." -- Tom Peters

"Flatter me, and I may not believe you. Criticize me, and I may not like you. Ignore me, and I may not forgive you. Encourage me, and I may not forget you." -- William Arthur

If I accept you as you are, I will make you worse; however if I treat you as though you are what you are capable of becoming, I help you become that. -- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

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Level 6: Knowledge

Definition:

Understanding gained through experience or study.

Homework:

To learn the moral of Knowledge, the student reads four assigned books and then writes a 1-page report for each on what he/she learned from them.

Creed:

I believe the choices I make today will affect what I will have, what I will be, and what I will do in the tomorrows of my life. I am full of possibilities and potential.

Prayer:

Absolute and all knowing God, nothing is hidden from Your sight. In the prescience since the beginning, all knowledge existed within You. Kindly share Your knowledge with me, making me aware of what is meant to be, permitting my soul to understand it, and wisdom to agree with its outcome. Provide me with the gift of discretion, to prudently apply received knowledge, to ensure the fulfillment of Your Will. Your knowledge shines forth forever!

Amen.

Quotations:

A man of knowledge uses words with restraint, and a man of understanding is even-tempered. -- Proverbs 17:27

The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouths of fools feed on folly. -- Proverbs 15:14

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. -- Proverbs 1:7

A wise man is full of strength, and a man of knowledge enhances his might, -- Proverbs 24:5

�How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge? -- Proverbs 1:22

An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge. -- Proverbs 18:15

Whoever ignores instruction despises himself, but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence. -- Proverbs 15:32

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. -- Proverbs 22:6

Wisdom belongs to the aged, and understanding to the old. -- Job 12:12

Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. -- Proverbs 4:6-7

Wisdom is found on the lips of him who has understanding, but a rod is for the back of him who is devoid of understanding. -- Proverbs 10:13

When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. -- Proverbs 11:2

Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. -- Proverbs 18

Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice. -- Proverbs 13:10

The mocker seeks wisdom and finds none, but knowledge comes easily to the discerning. -- Proverbs 14:6

The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception. -- Proverbs 14:8

How much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose understanding rather than silver! -- Proverbs 16:16

Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise. -- Proverbs 19:20

"Circumstances may cause interruptions and delays, but never lose sight of your goals. Prepare yourself in every way you can by increasing your knowledge and adding to your experiences, so that you can make the most of opportunity when it occurs." -- Mario Andretti

One must learn by doing the thing, for though you think you know it, you have no certainty until you try. -- Aristotle

The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet. -- Aristotle

Practice is the best instruction of them all. -- Publilius Syrus

"If you look at zero you see nothing; but look through it and you will see the world." -- Robert Kaplan

There are too many things in this world to be learned, and life is too short to learn everything, so we should complete that which we have begun rather than dabbling in many things. -- Geshe Ngawang Dhargyey, "Advice From a Spiritual Friend"

"There may be more to learn from climbing the same mountain a hundred times than by climbing a hundred different mountains." -- Richard Nelson

Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go. -- T.S. Eliot

"Be curious always! For knowledge will not acquire you: you must acquire it." -- Sudie Back

"There are many truths of which the full meaning cannot be realized until personal experience has brought it home."

"The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see." -- Winston Churchill

"We don't receive wisdom; we must discover it for ourselves after a journey that no one can take for us or spare us." -- Marcel Proust

"Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance." --Confucius

"I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand." --Confucius

"The brighter you are, the more you have to learn." --Don Herold

"The true test of character is not how much we know how to do, but how we behave when we don't know what to do." --John Holt

"Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and consciencious stupidity." --Martin Luther King, Jr.

"An education isn't how much you have committed to memory, or even how much you know. It's being able to differentiate between what you know and what you don't." --Anatole France

"We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world." --Buddha

"The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled." --Plutarch

"Whoso neglects learning in his youth, loses the past and is dead for the future." -- Euripides

"The past cannot be changed. The future is yet in your power." -- Hugh White

"Imagination is more important than knowledge." -- Albert Einstein

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