Natural Light Network

A Warm Spring Welcome

As we celebrate this grand breakfast
in our new Garden Temple
let every window be opened,
every curtain drawn aside.
May the morning find us fresh, alive!
Embracing the crisp air to quicken our senses,
absorbing sunshine to warm our hearts.
May our souls become infused
with the enlightening nourishment of
Love and Faith
and a deep appreciation
for each new blade of grass.
And as we enjoy this cherished reunion
of Earth and Sun and Life,
let us also remember the prayers
that have sustained us in darkness
for they are powerful wings to lift us up
and into tomorrow.

Paul Howard Nicholas

Thoughts on Mothers Day

Mothers Day reminds me of how much I miss my mother’s healing sense of humor, her sincere hugs, and her ability to make everybody she talked to feel special.

For those of us who have witnessed the home-going departures of our mothers, I say: Take heart! For just as our mothers endured the pains of delivering us into this world of suffering and sin, so shall they also be present to celebrate with open arms our rebirth as infant citizens into our Heavenly Father’s Kingdom.

And to those who are still blessed with your mother’s presence on Earth, I say: Give her a big hug for me!

Paul Howard Nicholas

 

Respect

I would expect

no more than I offer.

Nor will I accept

any less than I give.

© Paul Howard Nicholas

Good Friday?
I still don't understand how the day Jesus was tortured, cursed, dragged through streets, and executed came to be known as a "good Friday." Who was it good for?

A Prayer for Snooki

Some have called her

a high voltage, micro-flash of lightening

crackling fiercely inside

the furious, curious funnel winds

of a non-stop masquerade.

But we see her as our sister.

And we ask, Heavenly Father, that You

grant her a safe landing

when the propellers pushing

her whirlwind stall.

©2012 Paul Howard Nicholas

When the Fast Girl Went Too Far: Overdose/Dead on Arrival

Dedicated to another casualty caught up in the costly race to chase the ultimate high.

I hope you're okay.

You departed so suddenly...

I'm only glad we had a chance to talk

before you left.

I pray our Creator understands the

bondage from which your soul

has finally risen free

and that He forgives your misguided attempts

to cope with an irrational world.

May your spirit ultimately achieve

the level of happiness and peace that

eludes so many of us in this life.

For in the name of God and everything holy...

I do hope you're okay.

© Paul Howard Nicholas

National Urban League Summer Internship Program: Deadline March 1, 2012

Submitted by Earl Nero

January 24, 2012

Talent Management Services Bulletin

Summary:

The National Urban League Summer Internship Program provides an insight into the world of non-profit management for college students, from the New York City metropolitan area and in
Washington, DC. The National Urban League is looking for candidates interested in a career in the not-for-profit sector, or in understanding the connection between non-profits, corporations,
and government in the work of our nation.

This is an eight week paid program (June 11^th through August 3^rd,
2012). We are interested in students from a variety of academic backgrounds and majors who:

- Have demonstrated academic achievement

- Have strong interpersonal and communication skills

- Are eager to learn about the National Urban League

- Are involved in extracurricular and community-related activities

Why Participate?

The National Urban League offers valuable work experience in a professional, fast-paced environment. Some highlights of this summer’s activities include:

- Behind the Business Tours with corporate partners in the tri-state area

- Special Assignments at the National Urban League Annual Conference in New Orleans, LA

- Lunch with the Presiden and CEO, National Urban League

- Interns day on the Hill, a visit to the National Urban League Policy Institute in Washington, D.C. and the opportunity meet a legislator

• Work on The President’s Project - a special assignment from the President and CEO presented to Senior Leadership of the National Urban League at the end of the program
• Participate in the Black Executive Exchange Program Leadership Conference in Orlando Fl.
• Visit a National Urban League Affiliate
• Lunch with National Urban League’s “Women of Influence”
• Lunch with National Urban League’s “Men of Influence”

Requirements:

• Official current academic transcript (minimum 2.8GPA)
• Resume
• Cover letter
• Two academic letters of recommendation
• One page essay expressing interest in the program

Deadline:

• March 1^st, 2012

PLEASE SEND ALL APPLICATION MATERIALS TO:

National Urban League Internship Program

Attention Dale Y. Johnson, Talent Management Dept.

120 Wall Street, 8^TH Fl.

New York, NY 10005

Fax 866-532-4638

Email: recruitment1@nul.org

The National Urban League is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Foreclosed Husband to Wife

I see your dreams reflected in my own

whenever sunlight parts the clouds,

still strong, undaunted by our struggle

to love and live as we should.

And in darkness I hear you walking

beside me, resisting the winds

that would scatter our hopes,

unafraid of the journey

that must one day set us free.

Paul Howard Nicholas

 

Princeton University Summer Journalism Program

Submitted by Earl Nero

To Whom it May Concern,

We are writing to inform you about an all-expenses-paid summer program for high school student journalists from low-income backgrounds that will take place for10 days in August on the campus of Princeton University.

The program is entering its 11th year; since 2002, more than 200 students from high schools
across the country have been selected to participate in the program. They were taught by journalists from The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Miami Herald, The New Republic and The New Yorker; they covered Yankees, Mets, Jets and Liberty games and held a press conference with New Jersey's secretary of state; they met with Princeton University's president and dean of admissions; they received counseling on their college applications from our staff, which consists of Princeton University alumni and
undergraduates; and they published their own newspaper.

We hope that you will consider nominating some of your students to participate in this exciting
program for aspiring young journalists. To learn more about the Princeton Summer Journalism Program and to read previous editions of our publication, The Princeton Summer Journal, and to read testimonies from our students, please visit our website: www.princeton.edu/sjp.

To be eligible for the program, students must meet the following qualifications:

- They must currently be juniors in high school.

- They must live in the continental United States.

- They must have at least an unweighted 3.5 grade point average (out of 4.0).

- They must have an interest in journalism.

- The combined income of their custodial parent(s)/guardian(s) plus
child support payments, if any, must not exceed $45,000.

Note: This program is for students from low-income backgrounds. If the combined income of the custodial parent(s)/guardian(s) plus child support payments, if any, exceeds $45,000 and a student still wishes to apply, he or she may attach a letter explaining why his or her family qualifies as financially under-resourced.

We ask that you encourage students to apply to this all-expenses-paid program at Princeton University. If you are an administrator, we ask that you help us spread the word by publishing an announcement to teachers or other administrators who might know students who
would be interested in applying. See below for more information.

Please feel free to nominate as many students as you have who are interested. We will happily accept several students from the same school, so there is no need to worry about your own students competing for slots in the program. We have not determined the exact dates, but the program will run for 10 days from a Friday to a Monday at the end of the July through the first week in August.

The application process will take place in two parts. For the first part, students should fill out the application, which can be found and submitted online here: https://fs4.formsite.com/pusjp/form1/secure_index.html.

We must receive the application by 11:59 p.m. ET on Wednesday, February 15, 2012. No extensions will be given for any reason. Please do not mail a hard copy of the application to Princeton University.

In the second round of the application process, finalists will be interviewed by the program directors—either in person or over the phone—and they will be asked to provide printed copies of the following items via U.S. mail: an official transcript; the first page of the 2009 (or 2010, if available) income-tax return form (the 1040 or 1040EZ form) of their custodial
parent(s)/guardian(s), or a signed statement by their parent(s)/guardian(s) saying that their income is below the level at which they would be required to file income tax returns; a recommendation letter from a teacher; and clips from their high school newspaper or other publication (optional).

A final word: We know that the process of applying to any selective program can be stressful, not to mention a lot of work—for students as well as their teachers. But, over the years, the students we have had come through our program have told us that, ultimately, the work they put into their application was worth it.

If you have questions, the best way to reach us is via email at sjp@princeton.edu. All
application materials—as well as additional information about the program—are available at www.princeton.edu/sjp.

Thanks so much,

Program Staff

The Parable of the Heathen and the Boom Box

To illustrate how easily the limits of human perception can lead to inaccurate
conclusions, Natural Light Network presents “The Parable of the Heathen and the
Boom Box.”

Picture yourself as a primitive person with no knowledge of electricity or electronics.

One day, while searching the forest for food, you come upon a clearing where a modern house has been built. You hear music and singing coming from the front porch of the house, but you don’t see anybody. As you edge closer to the house, you discover that the sounds are coming out of a strange black box with a colorfully lit face filled with dancing lights.

You marvel at the box, envisioning the pleasures it would bring to your family’s humble dwelling. And you start to think about how important you would become in your village if you possessed such a magic box.

You have no qualms about stealing it because the rules of your culture say that anything of value left unprotected outside the boundaries of your village is fair game. So you decide to take the box home.

But as you sneak onto the porch, you encounter a problem: the music box is attached to a long cord that runs into the house through the slightly opened front door. Maybe you could cut it with your sharp knife, and free the box from the cord. But would it still flash and make music?

Examining the back of the box, you find that the cord easily detaches, and, behold, the magic box still sings, and the lights still dance across its face! So you take the box and run, concluding that the cord is totally unnecessary, and that your magic possession, because of what you have seen with your very own eyes, will continue to operate just fine.

For those of us who understand the workings of an AC/DC boom box, the epilog to this scenario is easily predictable: Eventually the batteries will fail to produce enough power to drive the circuits and, unless the device is returned to a source of electricity, or its batteries are replaced, the magic box will slowly lose it's abilty to fill the air with music.

Compare this illustration to what we see in everyday life: People of every description, living what appear to be successful lives with no discernible connection to God:

Brutal dictators murder and torture human beings to stay in power; weapons developers devote all of their resources to finding more efficient ways to kill people; wallstreeters steal the life savings of mainstreeters to finance lavish lifestyles; and atheists campaign to keep God out of our lives while religious leaders teach us to worship a jealous, vengeful, and violent-when-provoked supreme being.

And most of these people, along with countless others who don’t know God, seem to be doing okay. They live, they laugh, they cry, and they die like everybody else, right?

Not quite. What these people don’t do is pray for God’s guidance in learning to utilize their talents to improve conditions for mankind, and what they don’t receive is the spiritual education that will allow them to advance to the next phase of life at the end of their allotted time on Earth.

One of the greatest messages Jesus brought to us is God’s promise of eternal life for those who qualify themselves for acceptance into Heaven during their tenure on Earth.

So do not be deceived, my brothers and sisters, by the limits of human perception. When confronted with circumstances that require an understanding that goes beyond what our eyes can see, and our ears can hear, ask for God’s assistance.

He will guide you to outlets that allow you to plug into the Eternal Power Source of Light, Life, and Accurate Information.

©Paul Howard Nicholas

A New Year's Wish!

May God's smile be the light upon

the paths we choose.

And may our Guardian Angels

always hover near.

Wishing my family, friends, and all God's children Peace, Love, Health, and Prosperity,

Paul Howard Nicholas