The Words of the Goldberg Family
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The Words of the Goldberg Family |
Denzel
Washington
Dear Brothers and Sisters
This Monday my wife and I witnessed the graduation of our 2nd daughter from the University of Pennsylvania. Naturally we felt very proud of Vera. We are extremely grateful for the fact that an Ivy League school will give generous scholarship aid if a family shows financial need and if the student gets excellent high school grades and shows initiative and character. We felt enormously blessed and fortunate.
The key note speaker at this ceremony was the actor, Denzel Washington. Perhaps you are familiar with him from his star roles in the movies, "Philadelphia" and "Unstoppable". Mr. Washington shared with us that he felt a little nervous speaking in person to such a large audience in a football stadium. He noted that in his movies, although thousands of people watch him on the screen, he does not see them while he is acting.
The main point of his speech was that a person must take risks in order to achieve something great. He or she must risk failure in order to get anything worthwhile done. In fact the successful person will fail many times in life and if she does not then, she is not even trying. Washington shared several of his own failures along the path of becoming a great actor and a very generous donor to worthy causes. He gave some good advice saying we need to learn to "fall forward". At least when you fall forward, you can see what you are about to hit. More importantly, you do not quit, but take the failure as just one more step on the path to eventual success. He openly confessed that he prayed and prayed and worked and worked and tried again and again until he got a break. The message Denzel Washington gave to those graduates and their parents was one that I believe we can take to heart in our own lives.
Each of us must pass through trials and failures as we walk our life's path. We want to make our families happy and successful but at times we fall short. And we want to be able to share the news that True Parents are here and that the Divine Principle can help us become free. But we are often afraid of looking foolish or of failing miserably. Those are not reasons to quit. Fall forward! Dare to try and dare to try new things even if they make you feel afraid. Traveling to Virginia on Sunday may not be comfortable if you live in Maryland. Sharing your faith with a friend or a relative may not be easy or comfortable. Serving a neighbor or a brother or sister who annoys you may be uncomfortable and make us nervous. We might be rejected or persecuted. What of it?
The doctor who discovered laparoscopic surgery was shunned by the medical community for 7 long years because more traditional surgeons were sure it was dangerous for the patient. Yet it is now considered the safest and most advanced form of surgical treatment. History proved the theory and the practice was beneficial.
Living for the sake of others may look like a fools way of living, but history will prove it to be the most successful and benevolent lifestyle for the advancement of the human race. Our True Parents have tested the Divine Principle and have been tested about loving their enemy and they continue to lead the way for the rest of us. Let's get in the game and make our God and True Parents and our families proud.
Pastor Matthew and Marianne Goldberg
There will be a free ride in the Youth Van from the Youth Center to Sunday service this week for anyone who would like to volunteer to help with the service (such as preparing and packing the lunches). If you can get to the Youth Center (the Berndt's home in Bowie) no later than 8 am, you will get a ride to and from church (Kenmore Middle School). Please offer a dollar or two for gas. Thank you!
WFWP "Friendship Gathering" will be on May 21, 1-3 PM at Emiko Butler's home: 7918 Woodbury Dr, Silver Spring, MD 20910. We will watch a short DVD (True Mother's testimony) and Mrs. ...