Image by Krystn Palmer Photography  http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en
      How is one to ‘boil down’ these and a variety of other descriptive expressions to describe the mission of Jesus to earth? Is there one cohesive conclusion--a bottom line for why He came? His arrival on the scene had something to do with salvation, sin, deliverance, eternal life, peace, son-ship, guidance out of darkness into light and an abundant or joyful life .

     The theme of the story of Moses, the Egyptians and the Israelites seems to be an apt parallel to the work of Jesus among His people. Moses approached the king of Egypt demanding that his people, the long enslaved Israelites be released from their captivity--"Let my people go!" (Exodus 5:1--See chapter 5-14 for the entire story). Through the hand of Moses, Yahweh God released and led the people of Israel in the pillar of light from their Egyptian tombs and masters to serve the God of their fathers in both the wilderness and Canaan, "the land flowing with milk and honey" (Leviticus 20:24). Their continuing responsiveness to their God was the lifeline to their joy, peace and life even in difficult circumstances.

 Audio Clips--Relevant Bible Lessons:     [Allow as much as 2 min. for loading]

              * But We See Jesus--The Perfect Deliverer -- Hebrews 9:
                      http://dl.dropbox.com/u/51022506/ButWeSeeJesusPerfDeliv6-08.m4a

                    * 'Parable of the Forgiving Father' (Alias--The Prodical Son)-- Luke 15:
                          http://dl.dropbox.com/u/51022506/Parable%20of%20the%20Forgiving%20Father%20-%20Bib.Class4-6-08.m4a

                    * 'On Being Thrown to the Lions'-- Daniel 6:
                           http://dl.dropbox.com/u/51022506/ThrownToLions4-20-08.m4a

                    * 'God's Shock Therapy'--Daniel/Haggai
                           http://dl.dropbox.com/u/51022506/God%27sShockThrpy4-27-08.m4a  

                    * 'Getting the Hungries for the Word'-- Nehemiah 8:
                           http://dl.dropbox.com/u/51022506/GettingHungriesWd5-08.m4a

                    * 'On Being Taught by God'--Nehemiah 8:/Hebrews 1:
                               http://dl.dropbox.com/u/51022506/On%20Being%20Taught%20by%20God.m4a

                * 'Jesus--THE MAN-Unique/Superior in every way 
                           http://dl.dropbox.com/u/51022506/JesusTheMan6-1-08.m4a

                           
                         

 
Image by Trodel [galaxy] http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en 
                                                                        Image by sbrent [nativity] http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/deed.en

                           

          Our prayer for you is that today will be a blessing of peace for you and your family!!

                                                                                                                               Lynn & Deborah Williams

Biblical Studies Resources: 

            Online Book--------------   If Our Hearts Condemn Us . . , Will God?
                 Scripture Index  ['click' link below]
                                  http://www.turniphdpubs.byethost32.com/index.html   

             Audio Clips--Relavant Bible Lessons:
 
                   * 'Parable of the Forgiving Father' (Alias--The Prodical Son)-- Luke 15:
                          http://dl.dropbox.com/u/51022506/Parable%20of%20the%20Forgiving%20Father%20-%20Bib.Class4-6-08.m4a

                    * 'On Being Thrown to the Lions'-- Daniel 6:
                           http://dl.dropbox.com/u/51022506/ThrownToLions4-20-08.m4a

                    * 'God's Shock Therapy'--Daniel/Haggai
                           http://dl.dropbox.com/u/51022506/God%27sShockThrpy4-27-08.m4a  

                    * 'Getting the Hungries for the Word'-- Nehemiah 8:
                           http://dl.dropbox.com/u/51022506/GettingHungriesWd5-08.m4a

                    * 'On Being Taught by God'--Nehemiah 8:/Hebrews 1:
                     http://dl.dropbox.com/u/51022506/On%20Being%20Taught%20by%20God.m4a

      In large measure, I think this is what keeps people looking and searching. They are looking for the better deal--that someone or something that will make their lives easier or better--something that for them is ‘the answer’ they have been looking for all of their lives. They are looking for the person or something (a system of thought, a place, a gadget or way of living) that will give them increased security or improve the way in which they deal with the uncertainties and difficulties of life. They are looking for ‘the real deal’ that will enhance their lives with a minimum investment of time, money, effort and pain or discomfort.

     I think this is why Jesus’ entrance into the world stirred such interest and excitement. He made some amazing claims ("I am the Way, the Truth and the Life . . . I am the Bread of life . . . I am the Good Shepherd", etc.). He offered astounding and extraordinary promises ("Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest . . . Whoever lives and believes in me will never die . . . Everyone who...believes in [me] shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day"*).  Isn’t this the primary reason many people hung on His every word?

     Jesus was promising security. He was promising a life that was different from their miserable and often unbearable existence under Rome’s harsh rule and tyranny. He was going to give them ‘the moon’--a way of life they had never  known before. And people came to Him by the droves--that is, until He began to explain the cost for that security, nourishment, rest and life. It would cost alot! And so what happened was that people who had rushed to His side because of the "loaves and fishes" began to drop off--one here, two or three there, until it was only His disciples and perhaps a few hundred others that remained. The people who abandoned Him did so as they came to understand the cost of   continuing to follow Jesus.

     Jesus turned to the few still remaining among His dwindling number of disciples and asked: "Will you also go away?" to which Peter replied; "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life! We believe and know that you are the holy one of God" (John 6:66-69).  Peter’s past experiences in life had taught him some extremely valuable lessons. His failures along the way, which included all the hurts, defeats and rejection from others, helped him understand how life as a human being will always be lived. Failure, defeat, hurt and disappointment can never be avoided, and Peter had finally figured it out. Nothing from this world; no law, no system, no power and certainly no person was going to give him what he disparately needed. Nothing was going to keep him or others from falling through the cracks. From his perspective, only Jesus, the Holy One of God provided his best shot at a life that was worth living--and dying for.

     Jesus had laid out the price in a simple and clear fashion. One concise statement concerning this grand and wondrous relationship, outlined for His disciples what it would take; "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it" (Luke 9:23). This is Jesus’ call: that we renounce our arrogant self-reliant selves and the self-fulness of amassing and hoarding for ourselves what we value most in our lives for the purpose of following Him.  It is the call to sacrifice and servant-hood--perhaps the two things that we are least inclined to do or be. It is the call to trust and to remember. But we cannot begin to sacrifice our self indulgent lifestyle or selflessly serve, until we have placed explicit trust in  and are constantly reminded of  the One who has laid it all on the line for us. Jesus has become "the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world" and He insists that if we trust God, then we must also trust Him and constantly remind ourselves of His sacrificial death on our behalf!

     Just previous to this death on the cross, Jesus gathered His disciples together for a final meal --a celebration of the Passover. As He lifted up the bread, gave thanks and broke it, He made this pronouncement; "‘This is my body which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way . . , He took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me’" (I Corinthians 11:23-25 [Luke 22:19-20]). Throughout this dinner, Jesus implied how critical an abiding trust in Him as the Holy One of God was to be, and His instructions were explicit in that the disciples together must consistently remember His Divine sacrifice until He came for them  at the end of the age (I Corinthians 11:26).

     However, I think there remains a lingering doubt that haunts our very souls--a doubt that persists even in the face of unrelenting and sure assurances. Perhaps it is the kind of doubt that Thomas entertained when he heard the impossibly wonderful news from Jesus’ other disciples that though Jesus had indeed died and had been buried in a tomb, He was now alive!  Day-in-and-day-out living--experience, told him this does not happen and could not possibly be true. It had to be a hoax, a trick, a phantom--something other than what the disciples were telling him it was.  Yes, indeed, it was just too good  to be true!

     Our experience of consistent failure and deep disappointment repeated again and again throughout our lives galvanizes our hearts against the possibility of anything that could truly be good news. Even the news that Jesus is God’s Christ by virtue of His resurrection--the fact that God had reclaimed Him from death and the grave, does not, from our skeptical perspective, demand our own  redemption from death. We have trained our hearts all too well. The brutal nature of life has compelled us to prepare them to be hopelessly cynical as a protection against further hurt and disappointment.

     This is the reason I think the following story from Sandra Richter, the mother of two young daughters describes in a wonderful way a paralyzing fear deeply embedded in each of us--a fear of which we may only be vaguely aware.

     When the Richter’s family pet, ‘Pichulla’ ‘(Little One’ in Greek), a pufferball of a cat became critically ill, she was taken to the Vet. After several days of treatment and extreme suffering with no relief in sight, it was decided that Pichulla must be put down. When Sandra brought their beloved pet, Pichulla home in a box provided by the Vet, the two little girls gathered around the box. The five year old was inconsolable in her tears and sobs, but the youngest at two years of age, did not yet understand the loss that comes with death.  All that her limited understanding permitted her to do was to repeat over and again, "Come out little Pichulla, come out of the box."

     It was a teaching moment for the entire family as they took precious Pichulla to the back part of their property to give her a proper burial. They sang their songs and prayed their prayers. This was followed by an explanation of the circumstances this family had unwillingly been thrust into. The simplest of terms were used to help two young minds struggling to understand what even grown-ups find so difficult to grasp: "Pichulla has died and is gone to heaven to be with Jesus, and He will take good care of her until He returns. When Jesus comes back to us, He will bring Pichulla with Him and we will all be together again with Jesus."

     Later that evening as the two little girls were tucked into bed for the night, the still distraught five year old asked her mother; "Mommie, what if Jesus loses Pichulla? What if He forgets her when He comes back?"  In those two simple questions, Sandra Richter’s little five year old daughter has touched the nerve of the innermost dread and fear of every human heart. Life immerses and marinades each of us in that fear!

     We have all faced the disappointment of not being remembered or getting lost in the shuffle. This has not always been a big deal. At other times, perhaps it was. In an instant a small voice deep within us whispers; "Why is this happening? This is not the way it’s supposed to be." We are hurt, broken--even devastated, at the thought of being forgotten or left abandoned and in that moment a small part of us dies. The optimism that hope had once engendered within us is now crushed.

     In Christian circles, the importance of having a good understanding of the stories of the Old Testament is sometimes neglected or even shunned. But for a moment, place yourself in the ‘sandals’ of the people of Israel living in Egypt long after the death of Joseph. He had brought them to the land for their very survival from a disastrous famine in the then known world. The favor you and the other Israelites had once enjoyed under the regime that Joseph and the other rulers of Egypt had served is gone, and the ruling dynasties since have made your existence in Egypt a living hell. Your people have been treated brutally for almost four hundred years. Tell me, how does it feel to go through this? Do you feel completely lost? Does it feel like you have been totally forgotten by the God of your fathers? After hearing year after year of the long term shameful treatment your forefathers have suffered, has the brutality of your own experience finally trained you to accept the inevitable reality that you too will live--and die as a slave in this immense tomb called Egypt? Have you resigned yourself to the fact that the cries you and your fellow Israelites offer up day and night, will like those offered by your fathers before you, fall on deaf ears? GUESS WHAT?  YOU ARE WRONG!   Yahweh God has remembered you and has heard you and has sent Moses His servant to lead you--every last one of you, out of your tomb into a land flowing with ‘milk and honey’ (the full story is in Exodus 1:6-3:8). And that is what He did. He did it because He is the God who "remember[s] us when we [are] down--the small and the great alike" (Psalms 136:23 & 115:12).

     With our Lord Jesus, no one falls between the cracks--No one!  He confidently exclaims; "I have and will remember you--I will not lose track of you no matter where you go, what you do or what becomes of you. I will not forget to remember you, little ones--Trust Me!  I am not like the ‘others’, in fact, I am THE Other. I am Holy (‘the separate one’ the one unlike all others). I am Worthy. And I am the Faithful and True One. Trust and remember Me because I have remembered you."

                                      

* John 14:6, John 6:35, John 10:14, Matthew 11:28-30, John 11:26, John 6:40.
⁼Romans 1:4, I Corinthians 15 12-19 and Romans 8:15-39.

‘fence-straddlers’ with very little credibility or stability. I mean, how can one espouse two opposing views at the same time and still maintain that truth is an objective and attainable reality? It just doesn’t seem possible. And by the same token, it may feel as though ‘embracing ambiguity’ really has no place in a discussion where truth is not some vacillating reality subject to all sorts of fuzzy and contradictory factors. Truth is always true and never relative. I believe that.

Orthodoxy, however, demands that both Jesus’ humanity and divinity (elements that seem totally incompatible with each other) receive full acceptance as truth in the Christian community. The only acceptable answer to the question; ‘Is Jesus fully human or is he fully divine?’ is a resounding-‘Yes!’ But how are they to be melded into a cohesive whole? Various heretical philosophies early on declared these two principles at complete odds with each other--completely incompatible. The solution to this dichotomy was to simply eliminate either Jesus’ humanity or His divine nature. But this doesn’t solve the problem. Both are solidly grounded in the teaching of Scripture. From Biblical perspective, they both ‘ring true’! Scholars have spent literally years in their attempts at explaining and reconciling these two divergent realities with at best, less than satisfying results.

Perhaps the most useful tool in helping the human mind wrap itself around two conflicting thoughts that the Scriptures both support (we call them paradoxes) is analogy. Although it will never fully satisfy the intense longing of the human heart in its demand that everything be ‘nailed’ securely in place so that there can be no room for the slightest doubt, analogy seems to offer the best approach. I was reminded of a particular analogy during our visit the other day with Holly regarding the ‘embracing [of] ambiguity’:

There is at least one set of fairly straight railroad tracks running near our home (overnight guests ‘enjoy’ the loud blasts and rumbling chatter of trains from hour to hour throughout the night--we hardly ever hear them anymore). If one were to stand in the middle of the tracks and sight them to West, at the horizon it seems that the rails almost converge--that they come together. This is, of course, an optical illusion. If one were to walk those tracks all the way to the West coast, the rails would never get any closer to the other! Our collective experience and wisdom with railroad track rails is that they will never converge. It is an impossibility.

It is also true that though the humanity and divinity of Christ are both well supported truths in Scripture, they are like the rails of those tracks that seem so close to converging, but no matter how far one walks, they never do. In our experience with these two elements of Jesus’s nature, though we intuitively understand that they should be an integral part of each other--that the two must merge into one compatible reality, it seems that we are never actually able to completely align them. There are too many divergent questions and seemingly incompatible facts that we are unable to reconcile or assimilate. How in the world is it that a human being can also be God in the flesh? We can never actually wrap our minds around all of this so that the two can come together as a harmonious whole. And the longer we spend on it and the more energy we put into it, the crazier we get!

I suppose this is where Holly’s ‘embracing [the] ambiguity’ must be allowed. Choosing to live at peace in our hearts with this incongruity so that we may be able to find a measure of rest. Our best efforts will always fall just a little short of answering all of the burning questions and completely resolving every single detail involved. We find peace in our lives by learning to embrace both realities that we are convinced are absolutely true even though we may never actually discover how they dovetail seamlessly with the other.

I guess what intrigues me the most is that I more than suspect that the moment we leave this reality behind–the very moment we die, the ‘railroad rails’ will at last converge! They will finally come together in an unbelievably marvelous fashion. Everything that we have never been able to work through no matter how hard we’ve tried–the things that just never made any sense to us whatsoever, will at last dissolve and melt away into complete understanding. At last they will make perfect sense for; “Now we see but a poor reflection . . . ; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known” (I Corinthians 13:12). Suddenly everything will fall into place and we will finally know and wonder how it could ever have been any other way!

‘Embracing [the] ambiguity’ may have a valid role in helping us deal with those issues that seem so completely incompatible to us--things (from God’s perspective) that seem to have a place, as being holy and true. We don’t see how it is possible and it drives us crazy in trying to understand how in the world they could ever fit together. But somehow they do, and perhaps someday we will at last see the ‘railroad rails’ converge--we will see that they are a perfect fit, and we will finally wonder how we ever could have doubted or denied that they truly belonged!

I would not be so presumptuous as to consider the following issue on equal footing with the controversy connected to the human–divine nature of Jesus discussion, but do you suppose the same kind of thinking might come close to being appropriate? (Really–I’m just wondering out loud).

The Scriptures seem to support the notion that there is tremendous security for believers (there are many passages of tremendous encouragement, teaching that the strong arm of our Lord will guarantee our place by the Father’s side). On the other side of the fence, there are passages equally abundant that warn about the possibility of “falling away”. Many godly, knowledgeable and even scholarly people are at odds with each other as to which of the two positions is the ‘right’ one. I have read the passages and heard the arguments on both sides of the track that seem to support either one side or the other–And I see both sides falling far short in establishing their pet position.

I wonder–is it at all possible that these two opposing positions–the ‘Once saved, always saved’ and the ‘Possibility of Apostasy’ doctrines may somehow occupy a similar ground as the dichotomy of Jesus’ human and divine nature? This just doesn’t seem feasible. How is it plausible or appropriate that a person could enjoy a secure relationship with Christ and yet be confronted with warnings about the possibility of ‘falling away’? How do these two realities complement each other instead of standing in opposition to the other?

In all honesty I must admit, they are at opposite poles of a very wide spectrum. How can the two be reconciled? How is it possible that such divergent ideas as these can occupy the most extreme places in our thinking and still ring ‘true’? They can’t! Logical thinking demands that we reject one or the other outright. They have no place connected together. But by the same logic, either the humanity or divine nature of Jesus must be rejected outright. I don’t know-these divergent ideas seem so incompatible with each other and yet at the same time they both seem to have the support of Scripture. Some time ago a dear friend of mine made what I consider to be a very wise observation without coming directly down on either side of this controversy. He simply made this succinct comment: “I believe the warning passages in divine Scripture were written for those who needed to hear and heed their warning while the divine words of comfort and assurance of security were written for those who at that moment desperately needed to hear the words of the Lord; ‘I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.’”  I guess that the real fascination for me is that both the 'warning' and 'comforting/encouraging' passages may be equally applicable to the same person within the most brief span of just moments! (see Psalm 30:7)

I am convinced in what I believe about these things (people have vehemently attempted to change my mind–unsuccessfully, I might add). I will probably die holding these same views, but anymore, I adamantly refuse to denounce, condemn or contradict the person who regards the other position as true. I refuse to insist that that person capitulate before I will recognize him/her as a precious brother or sister in Jesus Christ. I believe this would be totally inappropriate for me to do in the sight of my Lord. And so it is imperative that I fully embrace the truths that I have become convinced of, while expressing the same grace that my Lord manifests toward people who are always less than perfect in His eyes.

Do you think it appropriate to ‘embrace [the] ambiguity’ regarding this and other issues? Is it possible to live at peace with uncertainty, refusing to insist that every piece of reality fall perfectly and neatly into place before we can ever rest? Can we ever come to the realization that though we may be unable to resolve every incompatibility in this life, down the road, once we enter beyond ‘the veil and pale’ of death, somehow ‘the rails will converge’ and we will finally understand perfectly? Perhaps the best we can do is pray for wisdom, insight and discernment that we may not fall victim to the false belief that everything is relative and every ‘cockamamy’ idea and theory that people promote must be embraced as valid. No! It must bear the objective test of Scripture.

At the same time, it might be wise for us to be very cautious about trashing an idea simply because it doesn’t fit ‘our’ template of truth or is obviously at odds with everything else we believe to be true. On the last day we may find that some of the things we have struggled tooth-n-nail against-–things that have driven us crazy for years as we tried to understand how in the world they could ever fit together, have from God’s perspective, found a place among that which is holy and true. Not until then have we been able to see that they are a perfect fit as they dovetail beautifully together. The ‘rails have somehow converged’ in ways we could never ever have imagined and at last we wonder how we ever could have doubted or denied that they truly belonged together!

                                                                                                                                                          
Other posts related to this essay: "The Essential Nature of Paradox--Non Biblical, but not UnBiblical"
http://www.xanga.com/private/yourhome.aspx?user=Mr_Turniphead&nextdate=8%2f3%2f2008+23%3a59%3a59.999

Casey Anthony. They are angry with the state that apparently failed to prove Anthony’s guilt beyond reasonable doubt. They are outraged with a system that would let such a travesty of justice stand. And they are especially angry at the jury that has allowed the possible murderer of this little girl to go ‘scot’ free with only a limited amount of jail time.

       Really the only reason I bring all of this to your attention--again, is a comment that I heard from a radio broadcaster who also has had a career as a lawyer. The other day he made the remark that though this jury had come to the unanimous conclusion that the state had failed to make its case for murder, their verdict did not make Casey Anthony innocent. In fact he made the case that there is no jury anywhere that can make anyone innocent. A person may be declared guilty or not guilty, but a jury can neither create a person’s guilt nor innocence. That person is guilty or innocent by virtue of the actual facts and circumstances of that particular event. And that truth can never be altered by any decree of either a jury or a judge. It just IS.

       Now this conclusion makes real sense. It has the ring of truth. But it isn’t true!  And thank God that it isn’t--otherwise we are all screwed! The Divine declaration is that all have sinned, falling far short of the perfection and glory of God--we are guilty. Along with the Jews and Romans of Jesus’ day, we as well as they carry the burden of guilt in the murder of the most innocent Christ of God. As sure as "it don’t rain in Indianapolis in the summertime", our willingness to side with satan against God in our sin sent Jesus to the cross! We are guilty and there is no judge or jury ‘under the sun’ regardless of the herculean efforts to the contrary that are able to make us innocent. We are guilty of this man’s blood. We are without hope and without God in this world (Ephesians 2:12).

       It is, therefore, with much more than just a little interest that Paul’s statement snags my full attention:

                                          "For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed . . . . " (Romans 1:17)

When you read the words ‘righteousness’, ‘righteous’ or ‘justification’ in Scripture, think ‘right’ or ‘innocent’ because that is the significance of those Biblical words and concepts. Though it is a human impossibility to be right or innocent before God, there is a rightness--an innocence that Yahweh God calls into existence through His message of good news. It is called the Gospel! That Gospel declares that Christ in His righteousness (innocence) came to earth for the sole purpose of becoming a sin offering for the whole world that lies in sin (John 1:29) so that all those who wholeheartedly embrace what He has done for them on the cross might receive His righteousness (innocence) as their very own (II Corinthians 5:21). The power of God’s declaration that we are no longer guilty and our willingness to joyfully claim that truth as the most important reality in our lives dramatically transforms the whole dynamic of our lives. We have been set free from the guilt of our sin to walk before God with a pure conscience in His declared innocence. We are redeemed from the degradation of our guilt to walk in a new life (relationship) as new creations (II Corinthians 5:17) --creations of God being renewed each day through the blood of Jesus Christ.

       Because of this reality purchased for us, we stand tall with great confidence, courage and assurance. We are no longer badgered or humiliated by our guilt and shame. Rather, just as the universe was called into existence by the mere words of Yahweh God, so too He decrees the reality of our undeserved innocence by the suffering and death of His most beloved and cherished Son. Praise be to God for His undeserved and unspeakable gift! We are indeed innocent of His blood and death! And a new day dawns every single day of our lives!
[read also  Rom.4:18-25]                                                                                                               

toward the people of Israel after they had been rescued from Egypt; "I was provoked--oh was I provoked! ‘Can’t they keep their minds on God for five minutes? Do they simply refuse to walk down my road?’" (Psalm 95:10 [MSG]). In a sense, David verbalized this same frustration from his own–(human) perspective: "God teach me lessons for living, so I can stay the course. Give me insight so I can do what you tell me--my whole [e. m.] life one long, obedient response . . . . Divert my eyes from toys and trinkets, invigorate me on the pilgrim way" (Psalm 119:33-34 & 37 [MSG]). It is really a prayer--a deep seated longing that he might escape this irresistible proclivity for short sightedness and inconsistent devotion.

It is with ease that we get side tracked from job ONE toward insignificant, even frivolous and useless enterprises that accomplish little or even the opposite of what we have intended. It is a battle of daily proportions because it is an inseparable part of our humanity. A significant portion of Romans 7: addresses this very conflict. In extreme frustration Paul concluded; "I find then . . , that, when I would do good, evil is present with me . . . . O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from [this] body of death? With the next stroke of a pen, Paul restored the only appropriate focus that can guarantee the peace of a troubled heart; "Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Romans 7:25)

      Children early on need structure with a sense of consistent parameters. The security that children need for healthy development is cultivated by a persistent training spiced with love. They need to understand what is expected of them, know what is and is not ‘OK’ within the home environment and clearly comprehend what is both safe and dangerous: It is not safe to stick fingers or sharp metal objects into electrical outlets. It is not safe to touch hot objects like stoves or curling irons. It is not safe to play in or cross the street unattended. It is not safe to play with plastic bags, etc. etc. Above everything else, one should never put beans in one's ears! And even though they might be branded as harsh or ‘unloving’, it is the conscientious parents who make sure that these and other potentially life threatening circumstances are avoided, even if they have to exercise extreme measures to accomplish this training (a swat on the rear or physical restraint may be imperative). In extreme cases, parents who fail or refuse to insure a safe and healthy environment for their children risk being charged with negligence and losing custody of their children.

      It is in helping children to absorb the essential nature of relationship that is the vital element for understanding what life is about. Yes, they need a good sense for how the physical world around them works and how to effectively sustain their bodies in that environment--there is a limit to the things that one can and cannot do for life to continue in a healthy manner. But the concept of relationship must never be strictly confined to the realm of physics.

      Emotional, mental, social and spiritual values have a critical place of training for a well rounded understanding of life. To ignore the vital relationship of these other qualities to life in the early development of children is to effectively impede their growth toward maturity and effective living. My wife, Debbie is assigned to work as a teacher’s aide with children who have never been taught how to learn--to absorb the essential connection of relationship to all areas of life (perhaps the reason being that their own parents also were never instilled with the need to learn these things). These children have been deprived of emotional, mental, social and spiritual connections--sometimes even the basic physical needs are absent. And these children are ill prepared to learn--they don’t know how to learn, don’t want to learn and express unbelievable disrespect and total ineptitude in knowing how to interact in a healthy manner with classmates or staff. The failure of parents to instill such values into these children because their parents botched the job with them is as irresponsible and negligent as failing to provide the basic physical needs of their children. And they may eventually find that they have done as much harm to their offspring even as they try to avoid the damage that was done to them. To some extent, it has been a sad and at times discouraging experience for my wife to witness this continuing cycle of neglect and ignorance in the children she finds herself working with each day.

      As the people of Israel prepared to enter the land of Canaan, their leader Joshua, gave them some last minute instructions that were to be vital to them;
              

      Unless we understand how Israel came out of Egypt to be at the border of Canaan, we will miss just how vitally important this instruction from Yahweh God was. The phrase "inscribe them on the doorposts of your homes and on your city gates" calls to mind how the Lord struck dead the firstborn children of the Egyptians but ‘passed over’ the homes of the Israelites that had blood smeared on the doorposts and lintels of their homes thus sparing all the children within (see Exodus 12:1-28). The instructions Joshua gave Israel for training themselves and their children were vitally important for life! In fact, they were indeed a matter of life and death. This guidance could not and should not wait till their children were ‘of age’. Training for life was to begin post haste and was to continue in a consistent and persistent manner throughout their lives.

      Debbie and I have not insisted that our three children blindly accept and follow our particular understanding of life, but we have instilled within each of them a sense that there is much more involved in life than what can be heard, touched and seen. There are many realities beyond our senses and understanding having a profound impact upon us that need to be explored and learned. As parents, we have given them a thirst for learning and have encouraged them to reach beyond themselves that they might better understand those realities. We have freely shared our values and the conviction concerning a higher power beyond ourselves--we believe in God. Though we have cultivated this conviction in our children, we have not resolutely demanded that they accept these things as truth. They have, and Debbie and I feel they are the better for it. Our son and daughters are people of integrity who have learned to love deeply with a sense of responsibility to themselves and others. They have a strong work ethic, a compassion for others and a tremendous sense of justice and fair play. They are good citizens in their communities. And I am convinced that these strong character traits are derived directly from an early understanding of who they are before their God.

      "Point your kids in the right direction-- when they're old they won't be lost"      Proverbs 22:6 [MSG].