A recent "3 star" letter to the editor in the Tennessean (Nashville's newspaper) said: “We don’t need Bible thumpers to tell us that we are an immoral society?” Ok?

Then do we need sexual perversion thumpers to tell us that cheapo sex is the way to live? Do we need violence thumpers to tell us that watching scenes of people shooting and killing each other is wholesome entertainment? Do we need anti-religion thumpers telling us that any Christian symbol has got to go? Do we need abortion thumpers to tell us that the answer to an unwanted pregnancy is to kill the baby? Do we need war thumpers thumping the “surge” and/or invading Iran? Do we need evolution thumpers telling us that a belief in a Creator is “unscientific”?

Well, whether we need thumpers or not, our society was founded on thumping. It is even written in our Bill or Rights — freedom of thumping (uh, that is speech).

Now to attempt to declare some subjects thumpable and others (like the Bible or religious beliefs) as unthumpable is not fair. If you thump your thing, why don’t others have the right to thump theirs?

Motivation Quotation: “My country had shown me no examples of how to live a human life. All my life I had been full of hunger for a new way to live. I hungered for books, new ways of looking and seeing. It was not a matter of believing or disbelieving what I read, but of feeling something new, of being affected by something that made the world look different.” –Richard Wright

Comment: Richard Wright was an African American who grew under Jim Crow racism and in poverty and then became a famous writer. A key to his success was that he didn’t surrender to his environment. He was “full of hunger for a new way to live”.

Les Brown, a contemporary black motivational speaker mirrors Wright when he says if you want to succeed “you gotta be hungry”. One of the worst things that can happen to us is for us to become satisfied with our life — to have no positive ambition, no desire for self-improvement.

I work in a rehab that has a six month program. Many men come into our center hungry for a better life. However, after a few weeks, just about all of them have lost their hunger. Their family has accepted them back, their health is better, and they get satisfied.

But Richard Wright stayed hungry. He “hungered for books, new ways of looking and seeing” because he found that reading made made his world look different. He received hope from reading.

Libraries and book stores abound. Why not pick up and begin to read a positive book today? Read the biography of a woman or a man who has lived an upstanding life. Read a positive thinking, self-help book. Read the New Testament. Read a book about success. Read something that will challenge your thinking and show you new ways to live. But read! What good is the ability to read if we don’t read?

Recently, I saw the movie “Freedom Writers” — it moved me to tears. In the movie one teacher, Erin Gruwell, made a difference in the lives of a group of violent teens. Nashville, Tennessee has some Erin Gruwells making a difference for some of our inner city children and teens in a community center on Stockell Street.

One woman funded a program called “Bikes And Bibles” to give brand new bikes to kids who memorized a portion of the Bible. They gave away more than 70 new bikes this week.

Two men started, funded, and led a basket ball league for young boys this past winter. They taught the boys character, showed them love, and let them have some fun .

A senior at Vanderbilt volunteered 20 hours a week this year and mentored many teens. She is returning home to PA and some Vanderbilt students had a going away party for her at Lowes Vanderbilt Plaza yesterday. Many of her friends were surprised when about 10 black teens showed up at the party. The teens presented her with a plaque and many hugs in an emotional moment of gratitude for her service to them.

One man leads a “teen center” and sports programs. He has many men who volunteer as coaches for the teams. All the staff at the community center work hard to be personally involved in showing love and helping the kids.

A young man, who came to the U.S. as a missionary from India, lives in the neighborhood and works every day to befriend, mentor, and help local teens. A couple lives in the neighborhood and takes people into their home.

A church in Brentwood helped sponsor a talent show for the kids in the neighborhood. This church also sponsors regular outside events for the kids and some of their members help mentor the teens.

A small group of people prayer walk the neighborhood on Friday mornings. They pray for an end to the violence and for a better life for the residents.

Many agencies have programs at the center. There is a health clinic, a boys and girls club, a day care, and so much more. More people are involved there than I can mention, but there is still room for more volunteers.

Why not watch the movie “Freedom Writers”. Get inspired. Then reach out and personally help a person who is trapped in poverty and violence.

Recently AOL featured some “Bushisms” — humorous statements by President George Bush -- on their home page. I like this one: “We cannot let terrorists and rogue nations hold this nation hostile or hold our allies hostile.”

By George, it is a funny thing, but that statement made some sense to me. As human beings it seems that we are often held hostile. Somebody says or does something unkind to us and we get so angry that we can be held hostile for years. Every time we see or hear about that person we are suddenly in a hostile mental state.

A man in the rehab where I work recently told me that he had "killed his ex-wife in his mind every way possible". He said he used to lay awake at night and picture various ways to kill her. Why? Because he was being held hostile.

Nations also can be held hostile. They can see enemies everywhere. They can promote violence and war in their media. They can create a culture of hostility. (For example, road rage.")

Being held hostile is no fun. It is a type of bondage. The man in the rehab is now free. He forgave his ex-wife. Being held hostile is painful. Why not give up your anger and hostility today?

"How happy are those who are hungry and thirsty for right living!" Living right is not popular. Being popular is popular -- fitting in -- being cool.

People are hungry to be accepted; hungry to break the rules; hungry to make money; hungry to get high on chemicals; hungry to have fun; hungry for power; hungry for cheapo sex; hungry to impress others; hungry for hyped up media (sickovision); hungry for more stuff; hungry to talk on cell phones; hungry to look younger than they are. But is anyone hungry to live right?

I want to live right! I want my life to be as finely tuned as possible to the principles of morality, truth, and justice. I don't want to limp through life on one cylinder of my V-8 engine -- just getting by and stuffing my pain. I want to be all I can be -- as good as I can be.

Life is a challenge to live right and I want to rise to meet it. Living right is hard, very hard. But I am convinced that there is no more exciting and fulfilling way to live than by hungering and striving to live right. Why not try it and see for yourself?