Searching for Heroes in Life
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In Searching for Heroes in Life, the author, CharlesBrookinsTaylor,Sr.,challenges people of all ages to recognize the importance of acknowledging heroes in life. Searching for heroes in life occurs throughout our life journey. It requires us to look both within and without. Each one of us must search for our own heroes. And searching for heroes in life cannot be looked upon as a casual approach; it’s like searching for pearls: We can find them, if we dig deep enough. Unfortunately, too often many have been looking for heroes in the wrong places and in the wrong ways, primarily because we have let others define our heroes for us. And as a result, many have failed to recognize the true heroes in their “everyday life.” Why is it so difficult to recognize true heroes in our lives? In part, it’s because we live in a society that is primarily driven by the ideal of self-centeredness, focusing on me, myself, and I,one that is described as individualism. Another reason we have not recognized heroes in our life-journey is that, by and large, we have allowed the media and other facets of our society to define heroes for us by establishing the parameters or boundaries by which they are defined. As a result, we too often look in the wrong places, and in the wrong ways. We must also look beneath the “rim,” beyond the sports arena, or political arena, and yes, beyond tinsel town. The author reminds us that the first step in searching for heroes is to first of all define what a hero is. How do we define hero? The Shorter, Oxford Dictionary defines a hero as a person recognized or admired for his or her courage, ability, or achievement, and noble qualities in any field. Then, the next question we need to ask is how do we recognize a hero? Remember: to recognize is an act of acknowledgement or admission of a service or achievement; accord notice or attention, to show appreciation of service or achievement. In Searching for Heroes in Life, the author invites you to discover, as he has, the importance of defining and selecting our own heroes, because each of us, as an individual, experience our own heroes through our five natural senses, and ,yes,through our spiritual sense. As a result, each of us as an individual discovers the persons who have said something to us, or have done something for us that which influenced us in positive ways to go forward in life. When we take time out of our hectic lives and find a place of solitude and reflect on our lives, surely we will find that our real heroes most often come from those persons whom we come in contact with in our “everyday walk of life.” Also, the author challenges you to discover, as he has, that God has created us as fundamentally interdependent creatures; therefore, we need others to help meet our needs. And it is God who empowers others to help meet these needs. In Searching for Heroes in Life, the author cites the Maslow Toffler’s five levels of“Hierarchy of Needs:”--Physiological Needs; Security Needs; Social Needs; Esteem Needs; and Self-Actualization Needs. He agrees that these needs are important for a person to realize Self-Actualization, to become the most that one can be in the natural realm. However, He believes that a person cannot realize his full purpose in life without reaching the level of Spiritual-Self-Actualization, a sixth level of need in the spiritual realm. It is a level that transcends the other needs, yet, it permeates them. The author set out in this book to show that this level must be reached, if one is to achieve the full purpose in life. Most of all, the author has discovered that God is the ultimate source of all our needs. He is the greatest hero. He promises us in Philippians 4:19, that “He will meet all our needs.” When we put Him first in our life; when we begin to recognize Him as the one Savior and Creator of the whole universe, and that He controls it all, our lives will take on new meaning. In Searching for Heroes in Life, the author challenges everyone to recognize heroes in their life as they gain a vision of what it means to live as a member of the kingdom of God, as joint heirs with Christ. Page by page, beginning with his foundational stage,he takes us through a testimonial journey in his life in searching and finding heroes in life. He invites you to journey with him. Although your paths may be different from his, it is his hope that you, too, will discover heroes in your life, in those special moments of time, who said something to you or did something for you which influenced you to go forward in life in positive ways. Surely, it will awaken the hero in you from its slumbering sleep and release the power of positive thinking, produce an attitude of gratitude, and give you a renewed sense of purpose and happiness in life.
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About the Book
p>Searching for Heroes in Life takes the recollections of its author, Charles Brookins Taylor Sr., who narrates his lifelong search for heroes, and turns these accounts into an inspiring witness that encourages others to search for the heroes who populate their own lives. Through this combination of reminiscence and guidance, Searching for Heroes in Life shows how one may look at the ordinary people who cross one’s path and see in them the special qualities that make them heroic. Searching for Heroes in Life draws upon Abraham Maslow’s famous Hierarchy of Needs—physiological, security, social, esteem, and self-actualization—as a tool for understanding humanity’s deep need for heroes. In particular, he shows how the need for self-actualization includes a need for spiritual self-actualization, which is where real-life heroes may make their special contributions to one’s well-being. Then the search for heroes, illustrated with accounts from the author’s life, culminates in an exploration of the person and work of Jesus Christ, who is both Hero and Savior of all who believe. In a world that so often seems to grow grey and dim under the weight of trouble and discord, you may find yourself wondering what has become of the good and noble people worthy of respect and admiration. Searching for Heroes in Life will help you to see clearly that heroes who can guide and inspire are living all around you and that Jesus Christ desires to come into your life as the ultimate Hero and Savior.
About the Author
Charles Brookins Taylor Sr., a U.S. Air Force veteran and retired Air Force Civil Air Patrol chaplain, has earned degrees from Wichita State University, New York University, and New York Theological Seminary. He has served as a pastor, teacher, and schoolteacher. He and Carolyn, his wife, live in Butler, Alabama.