By Dr. Randy Hilton - Teacher, Bible and Understanding the Times
Making excuses and blaming others for one’s own actions is a part of the humanistic philosophy that immediately arose at the fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden. Whenever God questioned Adam and Eve regarding what they had done, they began to make excuses and blame others. Adam blamed Eve. Eve blamed the serpent. And they both blamed God. Adam said that it was the women who you (God) gave to me. Eve said that it was the serpent who you (God) had made which beguiled me. (Genesis 3:12-13)
It began with the fall and still exists today. If anything, making excuses and blaming others has gotten worse as the world increasingly grows worse. This idea is a contradiction to the evolutionary idea that things are progressively getting better. Excuse making and blaming others has permeated every area of society. This is especially seen in the legal system. A person can commit a crime, get arrested, and put on trial. Then the excuses begin.
In some cases the actions are labeled as a disease, indicating something that the person cannot help, therefore removing any responsibility. We see the same thing in relationships. How many people, while contemplating getting or actually going through a divorce, say that they are responsible for what is happening in their marriage? It is always the other person’s fault. It is unusual to see someone take responsibility for what they have done.
This is crucial in the spiritual realm. Before a person will accept Christ as their Savior, they must realize they need a Savior. They will never realize they need a Savior if they do not think or understand that they have sinned (ever done anything wrong). We must admit that we have sinned and come short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) At the very beginning Satan understood this and began to weave into the fabric of society through humanistic philosophy the idea that we are not responsible for our own actions. If we have not done anything wrong, why do we need a Savior?
He has also cleverly used evolution to keep us from being accountable. If I am here by mere random chance as opposed to being created, then I am not accountable to anyone. If, however, I was created, therefore calling for a Creator, then I am accountable to that Creator. It is likely not the idea that a Creator created the universe that is troubling to the humanist, it is the idea that we are accountable to that Creator that is troublesome. Making excuses, blaming others, and the false teaching of evolution have all been woven together to ensnare man in vain philosophy by removing any sense of accountability and responsibility.
This philosophy has also invaded the church. We make excuses for why we do not attend church on a regular basis. We make excuses for why we do not read our Bible or pray as we should. We make excuses for why we cannot possibly tithe or give to the works of the Lord. When children stop going to church, parents blame the church, the youth pastor, the pastor, society, or anyone else, but not themselves.
Absolute Standard of Truth
Christians have to make sure that compassion does not turn into an excuse for people’s actions. Many young people have grown up in very difficult circumstances, broken homes, living with grandparents or foster care, surrounded by abuse, drugs, and violence. While it’s OK to be sympathetic toward these circumstances, that sympathy can never excuse wrong behavior by those young people. They must--we all must--be held accountable to that never-changing, never-wavering standard of truth, God’s truth, His Word.
Satan has again cleverly brought into our society the concept of no absolute truths, morals, or standards. That is, truth and morality are subjective and relative to the situation, person, or circumstances. With this philosophy in place, no one can hold anyone else responsible or accountable for their actions, because they were simply doing what was right in their own eyes.
Most parents want to do their very best for their children. One of the best things we can do for them is to avoid making excuses for them or blaming others. We must teach them by precept and example that we are responsible for our own actions and must give an account of those actions. And, ultimately, every person must give an account to God.
Dayspring Graduate Wins National Landscape
Architecture Design Competition
Kyle Stauffer, a 2006 Dayspring Christian Academy Graduate and senior landscape architecture student at West Virginia University’s (WVU) Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design, was recently named the winner of the 2009 ReCycle This Site design competition in Asheville, NC.
Kyle, son of DCA third-grade teacher Mary Stauffer and Dave Stauffer, was one of six finalists in the national competition who recently traveled to Asheville to present his design.
Sponsored by the Land-of-Sky Regional Council, a four-county, local government planning and development organization in Western North Carolina, and the Environmental Protection Agency, the national competition encourages architectural students to design an environmentally sound space to live, work, and play in Asheville.
Kyle will receive a $2,500 scholarship, the opportunity to present at national conferences and be featured in national publications. He made his presentation to a committee of North Carolina businessmen and women, local artists, architects, landscape architects, and other stakeholders on March 26. He found out he won when received an e-mail congratulating him on placing first, while was enjoying spring break in Las Vegas.
“I was speechless,” he said. “All of the contestants were top notch. Although I thought my presentation went well and the committee said they liked my work, I still couldn’t believe I won.
“What interested me in the project was that developers in Lancaster County are continually taking farmland and building houses when there are old buildings in the city that could be used,” Kyle said. “I think this is a template for future developments. It dealt with environmental issues and the reuse and recycling of items, even the old buildings.”
Kyle competed against 210 other landscape architect students as well as architectural and civil engineer students for the award. Most entries were submitted by a team of three students, but Kyle worked individually.
What does Stauffer believe made his designs stand out?
“It can be difficult to impress one person, let alone 15. Each person has a different idea of how they’d like the site to be utilized,” he said. “I tried not to focus on architectural aspects and specific building materials, but rather the landscape and overall function of the space.”
Situated on 13 acres in the center of Asheville’s River Arts District and adjacent to the French Broad River, the site currently holds eleven buildings and warehouses. Additionally, it was once home to the largest tannery in the United States.
Students were asked to design a multi-use site where people can live, work and play while incorporating existing buildings and materials, landscape, riverfront access and stormwater management, renewable energy sources, U.S. Green Building Council LEED design, and the site’s contaminated soil and brownfield status.
A brownfield is a property with contaminants or pollutants present – or potentially present – that may hinder the redevelopment of the site.
Kyle organized his site design in a radial layout reminiscent of the rising sun and expressed common themes of succession, recycling and community expression.
“This is a rising community and I really wanted this design to inspire the people of Asheville to create unique spaces they can share together and with others,” he said.
In his design, succession was illustrated through heavy industrial concentration at the site’s edge bordered by railroad tracks and transitioning to a grassland-like area along the river. Recycling can be seen in the use of existing materials to create new structures including parking, walkways, stores and residential units. He also created a dual-purpose plaza to cap the ground contamination and provide space for community expression.
He will graduate summa cum laude from WVU in May 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture. In the fall, he plans to start graduate school at Penn State University where he received the prestigious Alma Heinz and August Louis Pohland Graduate Fellowship.
Kyle worked with 2008 Dayspring graduate Michael Schmucker to produce the video on his project. You may view the video by clicking here.
Dayspring Parent and Alumni Go Ice Climbing
to Experience
Article courtesy of Krista Hurley ‘05, feature writer, Engle Printing & Publishing Co.
In January of 2002, (Dayspring parent) Matt Kroll of Marietta, initiated a trip to Mount Washington, NH. “Ever since we (first) summitted Mount Washington, we have been hooked,” said Kroll, adding that he, along with several other friends, have made the trip nearly every year since 2002.
This year was no different with Kroll and friend Dan Kowalski being joined by (Dayspring alumni) Nate Driedger, Willow Street; Matt Irwin, Centerville; Bill Wos, Willow Street; and Matt Shultz, Millersville. “What started out as two people has grown to a small group of . . . guys who share a common interest,” Kroll noted. Most of the members of the group met through attending the Lord’s House of Prayer in Lancaster city, where Kroll is a pastor.
Kroll said that the almost-annual trip is planned for the middle of winter because the time frame provides a different sort of environment. “Mountaineering in the middle of winter is demanding,” he explained. “The payoff is getting to see things in God’s creation that only a few experience, like snow-covered majestic mountains, snow-covered white pines and birch trees, and . . . (the combination of) rock, snow, ice, and wind.”
From Feb. 3 through 7, the group covered a lot of ground in New Hampshire. They climbed Mount Avalon, and several of the adventurers climbed Mount Field. Ice climbing in the Flume Gorge was also on the itinerary, with the group using ice axes and crampons to climb a 60-foot-tall pillar of ice. Driedger, Irwin, Shultz, and Kowalski summitted Mount Jefferson, which is 5,216 feet above sea level, and Mount Clay, while Wos and Kroll spent their time conquering Mount Lafayette, which is 5,260 fee above sea level.
Kroll said that although snow was in short supply due to a mid-winter thaw in the area, the temperatures remained frigid. According to Kroll, temperatures were frequently below zero degrees, and winds ranged from 40 to 45 miles per hour, with some gusts reaching 70 miles per hour. “That makes for a very cold day,” he remarked.
While there were challenges on the trip, Kroll noted that there were many enjoyable aspects, as well. The highlight of the group’s trip was summitting Mount Lafayette. “It was sunny, and the mountains were in the clear,” he recalled. “Very rarely do you have such visibility on the high peaks.”
While Kroll admits that not everyone may be able to enjoy mountaineering, he encourages individuals and families to take advantage of the many hiking trails in Lancaster County, which provide “a great family activity that is low-cost.”
Life was given to us by God, and I believe it is for us to enjoy and live to the fullest in every aspect,” Kroll said. “If you can get out in God’s creation, do it and enjoy what he has given us.”