The Smiling Ash and the Grumpwood Tree

The Author standing in a Grumpwood Tree.

          Once upon a minute there were two trees who lived in Timberland. One tree was called a Grumpwood and had been in the forest for many years. The second tree was called a Smiling Ash. She was much younger and just beginning to grow big enough for squirrels to play on her branches. The Season of Comfort had ended. Now the trees were entering the Season of Defoliation or Season of Falling Leaves as the local folks called it. The trees were being deleafed once again.

          Even though the trees grew up in the same forest they seemed to have differing views on the customs of Timberland. The Grumpwood tree was miserable, he sighed in resignation and murmured:

"I don't think I'm going to bother re-leafing in the spring. Every year it's the same thing. We bud, we releaf and then get deleafed all over again. Why can't we just stay leafed? I'm sick of releafing! I want some relief from all this deleafing!" 

          The Grumpwood Tree was eventually struck by lightning. His trunk split in half and fell to the forest floor and turned into rotten wood filled with bugs.

          The Smiling Ash stretched toward the sun and smiled from limb to limb. Her branches billowed in the wind as the leaves she once wore drifted away in the gentle breeze. She loved letting go. Watching her leaves fall were evidence of her autumnal maturity. Brilliant colors of red and yellow created a festival falling from the sky. Every inch of her bark was beaming with pride. Even her roots seemed to dance with the bluegrass as they caught the leaves on the earth below.

A Smiling Ash with cheap some sunglasses, "Oh Yeah!"

          The Ash wasn't always a Smiling Ash. She grew up like any other tree in Timberland. She watched as some of her friends fell victim to gangs of loggers. Others succumbed to disease and still others lived in impoverished soil. She was fortunate to have older tree friends share the sun and rain while protecting her from storms.
          During her first full season of Defoliation, she was feeling rather moody in the midst of her deleafing. She watched as the Heart Farmer swept up her fresh leaf fallings with his leaf rake. He used some of her leaves for mulch to help insulate the roots of some of the younger trees. Some of her leaves he burned in a smoky fire. The Ash was saddened by the smell of her leaves burning. Her mood soured even further when she saw the ashes of her leaves smoldering as the fire burned out. The beauty of her leaves had been reduced to ashes.

          The Heart Farmer left one small pile of leaves for his daughter to play in. Her name was Beauty. She loved to jump into the pile of leaves and squeal with joy as she tossed them over her head. One day, the Ash looked down through her boughs and saw the Heart Farmers daughter crying. Tears were running down her face and onto the dried leaves at her feet. It was Winter now and this was the Season of Shabbat for the Trees. They rested until Spring when they would begin their Budding which brought the hope of a New Releafing.
          The leaves that were left on the ground were very crispy. The girl took a step and noticed the crunching sound under her feet. It made her smile, the sound tickled her ears as well as her heart. She took another step and crunched a few more leaves. Soon she was laughing and dancing as she crunched on one leaf after another. She smiled as she listened to the A cappella of crunching leaves echoing in the forest. The Ash began to smile along with Beauty as she danced.

A Festival of Flaming Fall Foliage.

 
          The Season of Shabbat allowed the Ash to reflect upon her existence and she began to understand her purpose in life. She was a part of nature that would teach supernatural wisdom to those willing to go deep and learn. The young girl dancing was learning how joy follows mourning. Instead of focusing on the decay of her leaves, the Ash focused on the Beauty of letting go and dancing in the joy of Budding and Releafing. The Smiling Ash learned how to focus on Beauty instead of ashes.

The Bible, Isaiah 61:3

Today's New International Version (TNIV)

     "and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
    instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
    instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
    instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called mighty oaks,
    a planting of the Lord
    for the display of his splendor."

The Cross Tree. 

Hands reaching heavenward,
Head hanging earthward.
On a tree,
A depiction
of
The crucifixion.

 Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody.

          Bob Kuebler is the Founder & Director of Youth With A Purpose - YWAP. He has spent the last 15 yrs. learning about pain and perseverance from inner city young people and their families. Healing starts with love, compassion and empathy. 

          Our mission at YWAP is to inspire inner city young people to develop as God's leaders who overcome the mindset of poverty and gang violence. 

          Bob is the Author of five books and several blogs including The Bright Spot Report, Bob shares how God is redeeming our cities through young people. You can reach him at 716-830-8240, ywapbuffalo@yahoo.com. www.youthwithapurpose.org

          All of the proceeds from Bob's books are used to support Youth With A Purpose. You can find them here:

 

Prayer The Book
http://www.amazon.com/Prayer-The-Book-Bob-Kuebler-ebook/dp/B00C7Z9B06
 

Wisdom From The Hood - Lessons From An Inner-city Youth Mentor

http://www.amazon.com/Wisdom-From-The-Hood-Kuebler-ebook/dp/B00FC931KK
 

Mentorology Volume One - Building A Mentorship

http://www.amazon.com/Mentorology-Volume-One-Building-Mentorship/dp/1494395851
 

49 X 3:16 - A study of all the 3:16's in the Bible

http://www.amazon.com/49-X-3-Bob-Kuebler/dp/1502873052

 

Vashti's Response - Adventures In Healing

http://www.amazon.com/Vashtis-Response-Adventures-Healing-Rejection/dp/1514857715

The Buffalo Schools - A Greenprint for Putting Children First

Most people would give you a blueprint for change. Buffalo needs something to help their children grow and that's why this is a Greenprint for Change. Improving schools is not rocket science although it can be time consuming and test your patience. The following Bright Spot Report details a true story of how the Iroquois School District overcame some challenges.

Voter apathy could be labeled as the nemesis that started the negative slide at Iroquois. Taxpayers are always leary of paying higher taxes. The taxes in the Iroquois District have generally been among the lowest in Erie County and the population base with many senior citzens did not have much to complain about. As a general rule, without a driving issue that touched on people's emotions, voter turnout at Board elections was rather anemic. That's how trouble starts, people think it's okay to sit home and let their neighbor go out and vote. That's wrong my friends, you should always go and vote to protect your children and your community.

Greenprint Tip #1 Always stay involved in your local school districts business. In good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer....I think you get the picture.

Several people who had no interest in helping students were elected to the Iroquois School Board and that's when the trouble started. One of the Board members was accused of assaulting a student on school grounds as well as several other instances of breaking the law. This particular individual would march right into the Superintendents office and say "I'm going to find the skeletons in your closet." He was mean and nasty to anyone (including students) who questioned him. His verbal attacks on school personell were relentless and became quite embarassing for anybody connected with Iroquois.

After the election of people who many parents felt did not have their children's best interests at heart, the parents started to become active. They met and formed committees and came up with a list of possible candidates who would put children first. The parents selected team players who would listen to their concerns and work with them to enhance and safeguard their children's education. I was fortunate and blessed to be selected as one of those candidates. When I met the Board member who had been causing all of the trouble, he looked at me and said: "You will never get elected. My people are going to win." My reply? I told him that "If God wanted me on that School Board, He was going to put me there and there isn't a damn thing you can do about it." The parents came out in numbers that surpassed any previous elelection to support their candidates and we won.

Greenprint Tip #2 When selecting candidates to run for the School Board, community members should select people who have children as their primary focus. They should be able to devote the time that is needed to be a team player on a successful School Board. They should have a background as a team player. They should be willing to spend time in the schools. A good plant manager takes the time to walk his plant everyday.

For only the third time in New York State history, a School Board convened a special session to remove one of it's own members. There were 19 charges brought against this individual and most of them were quite serious and damaging to the children at Iroquois. After several days of testimony amidst a flood of media coverage, this Board Member was removed. This was an excruciatingly painful time for many of the people involved. The community was divided because some folks believed that this individual was fighting against higher taxes. His agenda was purely personal and his desire was for publicity at any cost. We were relieved when it was over so we could concentrate on programs for students.

Greenprint tip #3 Do not be afraid to make hard decisions and remove people who are a detriment to the welfare of children. If you are going to serve as a Board Member, you cannot become complacent in the face of an adversarial nemesis who will tear down the foundation of a good school district.

After the trial was over, we hired several new administrative people including the Superintendent. As a unified Board, we conducted lengthy and thoroough interviews. We would sit down and have dinner while asking a lot of interview questions. If a candidate seemed promising, we met with them several times.  Every person that we hired was highly qualified, highly recommended, highly respected by their peers and they had a strong desire to put children first. These were people with a strong character and a good work ethic who belived in putting children first. We formed relationships with everyone we hired. (My son and I even went fishing with our Superintendent.)

Greenprint Tip #4 If you want your children to learn good character traits then they should be surrounded with people who exemplify those traits. Form a relationship with people before you hire them. This may seem harder to do in a very large school district but if you start the interview process at the top and keep hiring like minded people, it will eventually be a driving force throughout the District. The Board should spend a lot of time deciding on the character traits that they believe will be in the best interests of their children.

The next burning issue we faced after hiring a whole new Administration Team was contract negotiations with several different bargaining units. Nobody was happy and the teachers standard apparel was black shirts. They would picket Board meetings and I found it painful walking through a picket line maintained by people who I knew deserved better. They had been promised raises by previous administrators who were now gone. The economic picture had changed due to some fairly large Tax Certiori Claims against the District. The Teachers didn't trust the new Administration based on their experience with the previous Administration and I didn't blame them. It took a few years to work through that mess but perseverance paid off. The Superintendent we hired was a very trustworthy and honest man who instilled respect in those he worked with. After a long road of many years, all bargaining units at Iroquois had contracts that were extended beyond there expiration. The black shirts were long gone. The Superintendent, Mike Glover, was a leader who put children first.

Greenprint Tip #5 Be honest with the people you are bargaining with. Do not promise something that you are not 100% positive that you can deliver. If you know that you will not be around in the future, don't jeopardize the future of the District by giving away a promise that somebody else can't keep. Take your time and hold your head up and persevere in truth. People may point accusing fingers for a season but a rock solid character will be a solid foundation for perseverance.

There is a lot more that goes into creating a powerful Greenprint for Putting Children First, but for now:

Go do something nice for somebody.

Bob Kuebler

YWAP Director

Youth With A Purpose

In School & After School

In The Mountains & In The Hood

716-830-8240

"All Children Are Gifted"

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Youth-With-A-Purpose-Inc/111808805513470
https://www.facebook.com/MentorForce

If you are looking for a speaker for parents or youth or both, please call us

God and a Rubber Chicken

I sat in a very cold apartment feeling miserable. This wasn't like Christmas as I had remembered it. I used to climb on the roof of the house and decorate from the top to the bottom. The secrecy of hiding presents for my children was a smile inducer. Better yet; it was a heart smile inducer. My heart had a Christmas Smile as wide as a fully lit Christmas tree. The Manger Scene brought peace amongst the joyful chaos. Peace, joy, smiles, that's how Christmas ought to be. That's the way it used to be.

Peace

Life changes and so do I. Frozen in despair, I could not see any reason to go out in a mad rush and buy presents. The house was gone, the family was divided and the children had grown older. What is the point in trying to give gifts that held no meaning? What did hold meaning? Maybe I could just write a check and put it in a Christmas Card and say "I love you." I didn't feel that. I couldn't feel any meaning in giving money. Maybe I could buy some clothes. Some people still have clothes in their closets with the tags on from years ago. Thoughts inside me screamed: "What is the point in all this madness of useless giving?"

I made up my mind that I would refuse to be a part of a meaningless hoax. I would not do anything, I was frozen on that couch. My Christmas Spirit was frozen. Slowly.....O so slowly, I began to thaw. God showed up. He urged me to pray about what to give. It wasn't about the money that was spent. It isn't about how perfect the gift is. The perfect gift begins with prayer. Actually prayer is a gift with residual qualities. You receive a blessing as you seek God's blessing that you can share with somebody else. My gift giving was drastically changed.

The first year of my new gift giving habits included Rubber Chickens. I didn't just give the Rubber Chicken all by itself. This was a special chicken that squawked when you squeeze the air out of it. I put the chicken in a Styrofoam food container that's used for takeout food. I added some fake grass that's usually found in an Easter basket. I put the chicken in the container with the grass and taped it shut. I wrote: "Chicken Salad" on the outside. It was an instant hit that provided laughter and smiles. The funniest part is that these chickens keep making the rounds every Christmas creating more laughter. People re-wrap the chicken and it keeps on squawking creating fresh Christmas joy every year.

The Rubber Chicken helps to open presents.

Moses and the Rubber Chicken at a Youth Program in church. Even Rubber Chickens can cross the Red Sea!

The Rubber Chicken chases a mouse (attached to a computer.)

Two Rubber Chickens and a steering wheel (that's how they cross the road!)

Christmas is a lot more joyful these days. I have accepted the changes in my life and I pray. God reveals new gift ideas all the time. Sometimes I make things out of nature like a Leaf Cross or a Sand Cross. God has a sense of humor that is revealed through a sensitivity to His Spirit. I hope and pray that your Christmas has God and a Rubber Chicken. Jesus loves you and so do I!

Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody!

An Alert Button for Children

"Don't you wish every child came with their own special alert button?" Those words were part of a text message from a friend of mine. The loving nature of her heart was all over that text message. Another young person had been brutally murdered in Buffalo. It has taken me several weeks to even get to the point where I can write about another murdered child. I could feel my friends heavy heart through the text message. I shared her heaviness. She made me think, deeply, about an "Alert Button for Children."

If you are familiar with horses, you will recognize their emotional state by their behavior.

I tell people that I get my heart broken about once a week. That is the nature of the youth ministry in the inner city. Children lie, steal, fight, go to jail, get abused, and die on a regular basis. In our Youth Center alone, we have had 3 employees lose family members through murder. We have known many other children who have been killed. Sometimes we visit young people in jail. Many children are abused. How do we protect these children? If there is a fire in your home, an alarm goes off. Can we install an alarm to warn us when a child is going to be hurt or do something hurtful? This may sound crazy, but I just believe that we can install alert buttons. No, I am not talking about some computer chip under your skin. An Alert Button for Children can be installed by developing the vision of our hearts.

The eyes are the window to the soul, what do you see?

 The rest of this article could be called heart-storming. It's an exploration process in creativity with compassion as the foundation. I think we can recognize danger by developing our peripheral intuition. Some people seem to be connected by a mutual wavelength. Coincidences bring people together. A parent may feel the pain of a child in a physical way when they are miles apart. A mother senses when her child is in danger. A "gut feeling" causes us to call a friend who is in need. A sudden thought rush can cause us to alter our route home and we later find that we avoided a possible collision. Personally, I believe that these instances are "God-moments." We are all connected in a divine way and our spiritual receptivity determines the depth of our connection. Please understand that even if your belief differs from mine, we are still connected. Spiritual receptivity is about desiring or hungering to be connected to God and people in a deeper way.

When you really get to know a child, you understand what they feel.

Let's take a closer look at the term "peripheral intuition." Let me first define each word as I understand them and then define the term itself. Peripheral is seeing beyond the immediate area of focus. It is seeing beyond to the very edge or the boundaries of your vision. Seeing the big picture is almost a prelude to thinking outside the box. Intuition is your gut feeling. The thought rush that comes out of nowhere. The God in you helps you to sense something important. It's a message delivered on a mutually shared wavelength. When you are with a child, can you use your peripheral intuition as the Alert Button? Yes, the key is being present in the emotional moment shared between you and the child. Give the child your undivided heart, mind and soul. We live in a multitasking world. We cannot multitask and be emotionally present with a child at the same time. Peripheral Intuition will sense danger just beyond the periphery of each child's unique sensitivity. If you seek "An Alert Button for Children," you will find it.

The next chapter on Alert Buttons for Children will focus on "Peripheral Passion."
Do you really care enough to see the big picture?

Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody.

"Find new ways, 

  in as many ways, 

    in more excellent ways, 

      on all of your days, 

        to show love." 

Bob Kuebler
YWAP Director

Youth With A Purpose

In School & After School
In The Mountains & In The Hood

157 Locust Street

Buffalo, New York 14204

716-830-8240

"All Children Are Gifted" 

http://www.facebook.com/bob.kuebler

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Youth-With-A-Purpose-Inc/111808805513470

http://thebrightspotreport.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/MentorForce
A Scholarship for a young person to attend a 3 day Wilderness Adventure in the Adirondack Mountains is valued at $185. We are a 501c3 and your donations are tax deductible. You may give online at:
http://www.gofundme.com/73te4

My Lousy Attitude

Sometimes my attitude is lousy. I make excuses for my lousy attitude and tell myself  that I just have a lot of passion. I hurt deeply for the young people in Buffalo. I watch some die. I watch many struggle through incarceration. I see scores of fatherless children. I have a passion to help as many as possible. Passion to help people cannot be used as an excuse for coveting the blessing intended for somebody else.  

My week began with many opportunities to help young people. It also began without the needed provision to fund those opportunities. One of my strengths is my faith. I also realize that faith is a commodity that is continually tested. It can become a weakness in a hurry. God has always come through and provided all of the finances we have needed to serve our young people. I was feeling moody and impatient. I wanted help and I wanted it now.

 I read a Facebook Post about a Rock The Lakes Community Action Project. A friend was requesting $2,000 to build a wheel chair ramp for a lady with polio. My attitude grew lousy. I talked to God and this is what I said:  "Okay God, I know this lady needs a wheelchair ramp. I know it would be good to raise this money to help her. It's a great cause. But, could we get a couple of bucks to help thousands of kids?" Yeah, I'm embarrassed to write this. I was selfish and miserable. It was kind of like a spiritual coveting. I would never take her ramp away but I still thought in a selfish manner.

I was struggling to escape the cocoon of my lousy attitude.

 I knew I had to do something to change my bad attitude. Repentance is a process that requires admittance of wrong doing and an action to change the behavior. I decided to help them raise the money needed for the ramp. I posted information on my Facebook Page regarding the project and also my phone number. Within a half an hour I received a phone call. A friend said he had $100 to contribute and wanted to know where to take it. Once again I felt that familiar grunge welling up in the pit of my stomach. I was thinking something like: "Great, they get $100 and what do we get?" My attitude still needed a lot of work even though I was trying to change.

I gave my friend directions and then asked him if  he had any plans to get involved in the City. He said he was very busy with family activities and work. He said they were doing something new at his office. They were all pitching in and saving change in a water cooler. He said that so far, they had saved $300. Then he said: "The goal is to raise $500 for your organization by the end of August." I could feel the tears well up in my eyes. God was blessing me in spite of my attitude. I was trying to change and He was blessing me before I completed my change. He used a friend with a water cooler full of change to help me change my lousy attitude.

I was loved in spite of  a lousy attitude. I have to display the same kind of love to the young people of Buffalo. Thank you God for your patience and love. You granted me mercy in the midst of my unkind thoughts. Please help me to love the way you love. Amen

Board President Drops Pants

It was opening day for the Teachers at Iroquois. This wasn't your typical motivational speech. I was trying to urge the Teachers to step into the shoes of the average teenager.

Dressed as a business person would dress in a suit and tie, I asked the audience what a typical teenager might look like and then proceeded to become a teenager. Removing my suit and shirt to reveal tattoos (temporary.) while adding a nose ring, a lip ring as well as a tongue stud and eye brow stud (magnetic.) Looking like I got attacked by a staple gun, I then added a wig of multicolored hair and shades. Then, I unbuckled my pants and dropped them to the floor (I had on gym shorts.) All I was trying to do was get ready to put on a pair of baggy pants. The audience roared. I think it was probably the first time in history that a School Board President dropped his pants in front of the Teachers!

The President of the Iroquois School Board.

I always believe that compassion begins with empathy. To truly allow another person to feel that you can understand them, it is imperative that you step into their emotional shoes. My dress was simply a metaphorical representation of heart felt camaraderie. Wearing baggy pants can be beneficial if you get lost in the mountains. You can use them as a tent. If you are adrift in the ocean they work well as a sail. If you tie knots in the legs you can probably use them to catch fish. I only wear baggy pants to make a point.

Somewhere along life's road, we lose our compassion. Our hearts become hardened by repeated testing from the children we serve. When we take the time to remember what it's like to be a child growing up, it's easier to regain some of our compassion. It's not easy being a kid today. Ask somebody for help in dealing with some of the more challenging behavior problems. Help each other find ways to restore compassion. Together as a team, we can become more compassionate educators.

Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody.

Find new ways, 

  in as many ways, 

    in more excellent ways, 

      on all of your days, 

        to show love." 

 

Bob Kuebler
YWAP Director

Youth With A Purpose

In School & After School
In The Mountains & In The Hood

157 Locust Street

Buffalo, New York 14204

716-830-8240

"All Children Are Gifted" 

 https://www.facebook.com/MentorForce

http://www.facebook.com/bob.kuebler

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Youth-With-A-Purpose-Inc/111808805513470

http://thebrightspotreport.blogspot.com/
If you are looking for a speaker for parents or youth or both, please call us.  

I CLIMBED A MOUNTAIN!

In the beginning..........

 
She was a Mom looking for opportunities for her children. Buffalo can be a dangerous place, especially during the summer. We have seen many young people die from violence. This Mom was being proactive.

She found Youth With A Purpose Inc on Facebook and she called the Director. She asked if there were any opportunities for her son and daughter. I explained that we could take her son on a mountain trip but that we would need at least 2 girls. I drove over to their home to meet them and give them the proper forms. As I talked to the Mom about the reasons we needed 2 girls, another girl came out of their home. I looked at her and said: 'What about her?" The Mom said "Oh no! She has behavioral problems." I smiled and said: "That's who we are looking for! We take people with behavioral problems and throw them off the top of the mountain! If they still have behavioral problems then we feed them to the bears!" The girl's mouth dropped open as if to say: "Oh no! I'm not going anywhere with this fruitcake!"

I CAN DO THIS!

The next morning she was ready to go along with her friend and her brother and sister. We drove approximately 350 miles to the Adirondacks and set up camp. Early the next morning we headed for Giant Mountain. This is generally an easy climb of about 3-4 hours. My partner made it to the top of the mountain almost 3 hours ahead of me and the 2 girls with these alleged behavioral issues. The one young lady cried almost all the way up. I just kept singing her songs like: "Amazing Grace" and "Nothing But The Blood." I read her Bible verses like: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!" ( Philippians 4:13) She would sit and complain: "I'm sorry I came! I will never do this again! I can't do this! This is crazy!" I just smiled and sang.

Snack time on the side of a mountain.

Waiting patiently for the rest of the team to arrive.

Can I fly down?

As half of our team waited at the top of the mountain, they asked other climbers if they had seen us. They said: "Yes, we saw them and they are never going to make it!" Hahahahahahaha! We made it! Just as the rest of the team were about to give up and head down the mountain, we stepped on to the peak! We stayed a short time for pictures and a bite to eat before heading down. It was a long trip down with a lot more tears.

"I CLIMBED A MOUNTAIN!"

We made it to the van and the young lady called her Mom to tell her that she had climbed a mountain. A few weeks later in church, her Pastor asked if anybody had any accomplishments they wanted to share. This young lady jumped up and screamed: "I CLIMBED A MOUNTAIN! Yes, she was proud and was celebrating her accomplishment. She deserved to bask in the glow of being an over-comer.

In 6 years of Wilderness Leadership Treks, every young person on our team has reached the top of the mountain. They learn about perseverance, struggle and victory. That's what we do at Youth With A Purpose Inc; We help young people climb the mountains of life.

"Find new ways, 

  in as many ways, 

    in more excellent ways, 

      on all of your days, 

        to show love." 

Bob Kuebler
YWAP Director

Youth With A Purpose

In School & After School
In The Mountains & In The Hood

157 Locust Street

Buffalo, New York 14204

716-830-8240

"All Children Are Gifted" 

http://www.facebook.com/bob.kuebler

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Youth-With-A-Purpose-Inc/111808805513470

http://thebrightspotreport.blogspot.com/
A Scholarship for a young person to attend a 3 day Wilderness Adventure in the Adirondack Mountains is valued at $185. We are a 501c3 and your donations are tax deductible. You may give online at:
http://www.gofundme.com/73te4
If you are looking for a speaker for parents or youth or both, please call us.