Celebrational Essay

Celebration Essay of Josh Hamilton

By: Ryan Brouwer

       Many people have heard good and bad things about on of my favorite sport figures.  Mostly it was bad for the first three to four years that he played.  Then, he just quit baseball for a while.  But after he started playing again, you heard better and better things about him.

            Right now you’re probably yelling, “Well, who is it?”  So I will clue you in.  It’s Josh Hamilton.  At first, all I thought of him was that he was an insanely good ball player for the Texas Rangers but then I read his book, Beyond Belief, and found a new profound awe for him.

            I don’t really know him except that I read his biography and watch him play baseball.  I’m not related to him in any way except that we are brothers in Christ.  I have heard about him for several years, but have only known his past life and story for about a year.  He didn’t all out say this but his life spoke this out to many people, “Ask God to turn your life around sincerely and He will gladly help you do it.”  The reason his life shows that is because he was a drug addict and was killing himself with cocaine and the like.  A few stories about him is that after the MLB forced him to get to Drug Rehab Centers, against is will, and he couldn’t quit, even after he went to several center.  But then he realized what he was getting himself into and asked God to help him quit.  As soon as he did that he fell away from drugs, even though he felt like he needed them to live.

            I have learned that if you trust God to help you with something, even with the small things like arguing with siblings, God will help you get through it.  Also Hamilton helped show me that you can and should trust God with everything.  He has showed me that if I have a problem I’m not proud of, I should publicize it so others don’t fall into the same trap.  That is also a good way to get over the problem. 

            I haven’t really even seen Josh in real life, I haven’t even gone to a Twin’s game when they were playing the Texas Rangers, so we haven’t had any special times and/or events together.  Probably the closest to that would be the Home Run Derby he had with Justin Morneau, who is on our home team, the Minnesota Twins.  After Josh Hamilton beat the record of the most homers hit in one round, Morneau walked away with the trophy after he hit just 7 home runs in the final round.  But Josh Hamilton wasn’t a sore loser and even congratulated Justin and was happy for him because he knew that winning that earthly prize wasn’t in God’s plan for him, at least not yet. 

            I would like to help people get over their problems by telling them how I get over my problems, by asking God to help and, in doing that, to admit I was wrong.  Josh did this and he has had many people come up to him and say that they showed a family member and/or friend his story and it helped them get over their drug abuse.

            So now that he has been clean for so many months, Josh has peace in himself and shows peace to those in his life and everyone who comes to him for help.

            I haven’t even told you about everything good he has done so if you want to learn more about him, or just want a good book, go to the library or a bookstore and pick up his story, Beyond Belief.

Labs or Golden Retrievers

 Labs or Golden Retrievers

By: Ryan Brouwer

         Are you confused on what kind of hunting dog to get?  Are you thinking, “should I get a Lab or a Golden Retriever?”  You’re not alone; many are thinking the same thing.  These two different breeds are close but have some clear advantages you would want as a hunting dog.

            Labs originated in Newfoundland but were developed as a breed in the United Kingdom.  Labs, also known as Labradors or Labrador Retrievers, were originally used for swimming out to fishing nets and pulling them to shore but later became used as gun dogs.  Golden Retrievers originated and developed as a breed in Scotland.  They were always used as gun dogs.

            There are several similarities, which are helpful for hunting as well as the other occupations they do.  They both have soft mouths, which is why they can pick up game without damaging it.  Both breeds have water repellent fur that helps keep them warm when they have to go in the water during the cold winter, fall, and spring seasons.  They both love the water and fetching or retrieving; that is why they make such good duck, goose, or waterfowl dogs.  You don’t really have to send them to get the dead, floating bird that’s on the water because they are off as soon as the bird starts to drop.

They are used many times as assistance dogs.  That means they make good seeing dogs, hearing dogs, etc.  The police use them both.  They are used to search for lost people, search for illegal drugs in people’s houses, and look for bombs in luggage at airports.  They are loving, kind, loyal and compassionate so they are very popular family dogs.  They are both prone to hip displasia, an abnormal formation of the hip socket that, if it’s severe, can cause lameness or very painful arthritis, because they are medium to large dogs.  This is hereditary so if a parent has it a pup is likely to have also.

            Both breeds also have advantages over each other and for hunting.  Some of the Lab’s advantages is they have webbed paws which comes in handy while swimming and retrieving something from the water.  They also made good guard dogs because of their loyalty to their owner.  They generally get few diseases but they can get ear infections because their floppy ears trap in warm, moist air.  They have also been the most popular family dogs for the past several years.  They were the first large dog breed to be the most popular family dog.

            Golden Retrievers also have some “special features” that are good but also bad.  Golden Retrievers have an eager-to-please demeanor which means they will do almost anything the owner tells them to do.  Because they are so eager to please, they learn tricks easily.  They are good with cats, other dogs, and some livestock.  They make good mothers to different species; they have even been used in zoos to nurse orphaned tiger cubs.  However, they are prone to many different diseases, including cancer, heart disease, and many eye failures/diseases.

            I hope this essay helped you find your gun dog and future best friend.  Just make sure you check the pup’s parent’s hips because if they are bad the pup has a high chance of having bad hips as well.

Gun Control and Restriction Laws

 Gun Control and Restriction Laws

By: Ryan Brouwer

            Have you ever seen a gun get up, walk to someone, and shoot that person?  No, that just doesn’t happen.  So with that in mind, the saying “Guns kill people” is wrong.  In fact, “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people with guns.”  Cholesterol actually kills more people than gun fatalities.  Also surgeries kill more people than guns do.

            Some religious groups, even some Christians, believe it is wrong to go out and shoot God’s creation.  But Genesis 27:3 says: “Now then, get your equipment-your quiver and bow-and go out to the open country to hunt some wild game for me” NIV.  That’s in the Bible and the wild game is to feed us and keep us alive.  Also if we don’t shoot and kill the animals, they will over populate and will be in more hurt than if we would shoot them.

            A few other Bible verses that talk about hunting are: Jeremiah 16:16 which states “Behold, I am sending for many fishers, declares the Lord, and they shall catch them. And afterward I will send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain and every hill, and out of the clefts of the rocks.  Another is, Leviticus 11:2.  That says “Say to the Israelites: ‘Of all the animals that live on land, these are the ones you may eat.  God also put us in charge of the animals and to help them, and that includes keeping them at a good amount so they won’t die of starvation.  The Bible verse that says that is Genesis 1:26: “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’”

In order to save people from dying from guns and other weapons, the government is creating harsh, new gun restriction laws.  The government wants to raise the price of guns, ammunition, and permits to get less people to buy them.  The government shouldn’t do this because all those people that have killed or severely hurt someone with a gun had poor gun control.  To help stop the bad gun control, you now have to pass a firearms safety class and a test from that class in order to buy guns, ammunition, or permits.

            Here are the death rates by guns and other killers as of 2006.  The number of deaths by guns was 30,896; and these deaths were distributed between Suicide, Homicide, Accidents, Legal Intervention, and Undetermined.  Preliminary deaths were 2,425,900.  Heart disease killed 425,425 people.  55,356 people died from cancer.

            Now it’s your turn.  Do guns kill people or do people kill people using guns?  There is a difference and you can be a part of that difference.  Practice safe gun control!