We are continuing our engaging conversation with Marvin “Merv” Mattair from Madison County, FL. Merv is reaching into his community to pour truth into the hearts and lives of the youth in that county, breaking the chains of generational bondage, and dispelling the lies that today’s media tries to sell them.
 
It grieves my heart how today’s teens are pummeled with the message that they can have sex with one person then another and then another without any consequences whatsoever. On top of that, so many of them have never seen an intact family stemming from a long-lasting marriage. Having a baby at 15-years-old is simply the normal. All this breaks my heart.
 
According to Merv, a lot of our young men struggle in life because they don’t have a father figure. And if their dad is around, he is struggling through life himself. Even the ones who make it through high school without dropping out, getting a girl pregnant, or landing in even bigger trouble, eventually flunk when it comes to marriage and fatherhood. Our kids may be learning how to catch a football or shoot a basketball in high school, but they are learning very little about life.
 
This is why Merv started Boyz to KINGS. In this engaging and incredible program, Merv and his team teach young men to respect their elders through developing healthy life habits. As Merv points out, it’s equally important for today’s parents, neighbors and community leaders to perpetually set an example for our kids so that they have something constantly in front of them to model after.
Now, inevitably, some will go astray. But, with healthy habits and perspectives properly instilled in them, they will return eventually.
Another method Merv uses is celebrating the small things in life with the boys he interacts with. Too often, they only find acclaim when they do well out on the athletic field. Then, when their high school football days are over, they are left feeling lonely and empty, without purpose. So, Merv celebrates them when they respect somebody else; when they say, “yes, maam” or “no, sir”; or open the door for someone at a restaurant; or simply apply good manners in their daily routines.
The key is starting early and “brainwashing” the kids in a positive way, utilizing positive propaganda instead of the self-centered propaganda we are all exposed to on a daily basis.
If you want to see more of what Merv is doing in Madison County, follow him on Facebook. You’ll be blessed, for sure!
One example is a ramp that they built for a gentleman who is confined to a wheelchair, for no other reason but out of the kindness of their hearts reaching out to fill the man’s need.
 
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One lesson I learned when I was young, and I teach today, is to constantly look for opportunities to serve other people. If nothing else, you don’t have time to get into trouble when your time is taken up serving others. Now, this goes against our culture that is all about self-pleasure and entitlement, which make it even more imperative for us to teach today’s youth with even more effort what it means to respect others and put other people’s needs before your own.
That’s where their real value will be revealed.