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Bringing all Principles into Union Communication Divorce

Escape Mechanisms Love Motivational Reflections

Prayer Principles in Dealing with Teenagers Recognition

Relationships Rene Descartes Thinking Outside the Box

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Concerns for Teenagers

What Family and Friends of Teenagers Should Know: In our postmodern era teenagers find themselves thrown into a unique world where claims and counterclaims, peer demands, social and personal pressures, contradictory religious proclamations and philosophies, ambiguity and anarchy and a host of other elements combine to challenge their very survival. Little wonder that erratic and unpredictable behavior often reflect an inward confusion and desperation, an unconscious call for help to bring some sort of meaning out of their entanglements.

Teenagers seek to cope with this complex and baffling maze of issues and struggles through quite different reactions and strategies. Some seek to fill the void and loneliness by identifying with causes or extremism or cults and the like. They may find some semblance of belonging, which reflects a desperate plea to fill the need to be loved and accepted.

A significant and growing number of teens find fascination with the non-confrontational philosophies sifting down from universities and colleges. A concern for positive tolerance gives rise to relativism. (See the Questions in Religion Home Page for a more in-depth discussion of relativism.) Thus, they seek to discover the meaning that fits best with their own beliefs.

Still others may resort to escape mechanisms, which could include resorting to use of illicit drugs that create a dependency. Or some may teeter on the brink through compulsive sexual exploits, leaving themselves not only vulnerable to all sorts of disease and emotional instability, but create a deeper sense of guilt and impurity. Still others may withdraw into a psychotic world of fantasy, unable to cope with the real world as they perceive it to be. Through disillusionment and bitterness they may even find themselves driven to rebel against society or any person or group representing authority, possibly including their own parents or other family members.

Yet, we should never lose sight that all these teenagers are persons. Many of them reach out in the only ways they have been able to express themselves in the kind of society that has pushed them into the sordid avenues they find themselves. This modern society has indeed robbed them in large measure of a healthy home environment. Pressing financial pressures, such that both parents feel obligated to seek employment, often lead to neglecting children, or giving them grudgingly the leftovers of relationships and merely hoping the children will somehow turn out all right.

Moreover, children too often become pawns in the struggles to climb the corporate ladder to success, or sacrificed for the whims of self-center parents who elevate themselves above the welfare of the children in divorce proceedings.

The divorce rate in our society has reached epidemic proportions! By far the majority of divorces could have found other resolutions had both parents been willing to sacrifice to the point of giving themselves to each other and to the children through outgoing and undemanding love, love that never demands reciprocation or qualification. Divorce has in and of itself become the first resort with the prime consideration centered in self at the expense of the family. Within the context of such fowl procedures love has undergone a redefinition based on the glamorous Hollywood romanticism; that is, love is that emotional high which embellishes the ego and supports the self-centered whims of the one loving. When the other person loses attraction, then the egotistical mania immediately comes into play to cast away the other partner like old clothes to be discarded.

People who embrace this superficial and selfish romanticized love know nothing inherent in the fulfillment of genuine, self-giving love of the Holy Bible for marriage from the very creation of Adam and Eve (...and they shall be one flesh—Genesis 2:24). Certainly, there is often chemistry between many married people, but genuine marriage should be based on a much deeper and caring level that loves the other partner with much greater desire to give than what he can receive from that other partner. When this attitude and disposition cannot be found in marriage, many children, and especially teenagers suffer untold injury and emotional upheaval, which often create an irreparable breach in relationships.

Of course, this does not in any wise characterize all teenagers within our society, but for teenagers to succeed under the hostile environment in which they must constantly struggle to keep their heads above the water becomes an enormous accomplishment. A few do have parents who really care enough to sacrifice much to build concrete and endearing relationships with them. These teenagers tend to develop into young people who find the resources to cope successfully with the changing and unstable world in which they seek to impact through transformation. Such parents who care enough to identify with their children in spite of all the difficulties inherent in the effort must truly be commended! Not only are these parents likely to find rewards beyond their fondest expectations, but society itself can have its course altered significantly, especially as more and more parents do become involved with their teenagers.

Nevertheless, many parents do show concern enough to seek solutions and resolutions in difficult problems related to their teenagers. However, other parents tend to feel that the gulf created over the years presents an insurmountable breach in relationships. But, to give up must never be an option. Teenagers need to know that parents pursue them relentlessly and deep down, teenagers frequently desire that they somehow could really belong to the family; yet, these teenagers may sometimes sense a futility in even trying to communicate, much less entertain thoughts that change for the better is possible. Many such teenagers find themselves overwhelmed with a sense of guilt and sometimes deep remorse from which they find no escape. What then are parents, guardians or friends of teenagers to do?

Principles in Dealing with Teenagers

Perhaps we do well to focus at this stage on a few principles which may open doors in dealing with problems related to teenagers. Parenthetically, most of these principles may also apply in varying degrees to any age children:

1. Prayer

While prayer may sound trite, we need never trivialize this vital and significant role which alone can dispel darkness and establish focus through communication. Prayer only wanes into the shadows as we approach the matter with a sense of duty or obligation. Such a dangerous and self-defeating approach to prayer often brings a sense of futility, rarely fulfillment.

Just as serious as praying under the burden of duty, the view of prayer that manipulates God never succeeds. The onus of power and authority cannot be ourselves; hence, to bargain with God through the exercise of so-called prayer in an effort to force His Hand to move at our command and fulfill our own ends can never express the real essence of prayer, either. This sometimes creeps out as "Lord, if you bring my son back to me and cure him of his ills, I’ll start attending all services at church!"

Quite the contrary, prayer must truly be an honest, absolutely pure communication between God and us such that we may cry out to God, "Oh, God, thank you for loving our family. Grant to us who relate to our children both the courage and the wisdom to show concern and love, to be open to hear what our children are trying to say to us without our being judgmental and highly critical. Help us to reach out to them by your love and grace without endorsing their behavior which can destroy themselves and our family. Help us to walk with them into the valley of their desperation that we may lovingly support them toward recovery." This example does not mean one size fits all, but such a prayer needs to be tailor-made to fit specific circumstances and situations of each teenager.

The important thing remains communication through prayer. Genuine communication with God creates oneness with God. We through the reality of prayer realize authentic union with God Himself (John 17:21). The power of prayer resides not in affecting changes in God’s disposition or attitude, but in bringing radical new spiritual dimensions to us, such that God’s Hands are able to direct His power to transform situations and circumstances. God chooses to move through the volition of His creatures and never to reduce His creatures to mere puppets. We ourselves must choose to walk with God to bring about His purpose. Such resolve comes strikingly through earnest and devout prayer.

2. Recognition and Acknowledgment

Of course, prayer can never be in deepest sincerity and honesty without recognizing and acknowledging the real problems and needs. Such a statement may seem far too obvious to be declared. Yet, consider the fact that many of us rely on defense mechanisms that reveal a state of denial. "I know that Mary stumbles a little along the way, but I just know that it’s not all that serious, and, besides, I have every confidence that Mary will come to her senses soon." This statement reveals denial of responsibility and accountability or denial of the serious nature of the problem or both. Indeed, it’s often painful and even humiliating to face the hard, cold truth. "John got himself into this mess! Now, let him get himself out of it." This declaration can be denial of parental role and responsibility, or denial of caring. Yet, if a cure can indeed be forthcoming, then we must face up to reality and shy away from the temptation to soften the blow.

Another element important in the step forward regards our recognition that we are ill equipped to resolve many of the issues and problems solely within our own resources. We must be willing to seek help, first of all through prayer and the light God gives us in prayer and the Holy Bible. God reveals to us that we must be an innate part of His Body on earth, the church. The church provides a broad basis to help members and non-members assort through baffling and unrelenting pressures brought to bear through breach of relationships. Pride and embarrassing entanglements sometimes hinder our willingness to seek help.

Other professionals who can provide specific expertise should be considered a very viable resource once we do come to proper recognition and acknowledgment of where we are and what our actual needs and problems are. A few good resources may be found at Haven Ministries where books such as Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Dr. Tedd Tripp; also discussed: God Can Find Your Teen by Haven Ministries. Another special source may be found at Dr. James Dobson's Focus on the Family with such books as The Strong Willed Child by Dr. James Dobson and Bringing up Boys and Why God, Why? by the same author. The Why God, Why? is especially suitable for dealing with teen questions. Also, a series of videotapes entitled Life on the Edge provides a great source for teens and parents to gain insights into the ever-present crisis situations encountered in the life of a teen.

3. Relationships

Life cannot survive long apart from relationships. When we speak of relationships, we speak from the biblical perspective. The truly biblical revelation places a premium on completeness and fulfillment within the context of human-divine relationships through which all other human relationships between God and humanity and human creatures relationship to each other receive credibility and meaning. From the very beginning Adam and Eve became husband and wife and within that relationship we see that the two became one (Genesis 2:24).

Marriage from the outset established this divine principle, which has fallen into ill repute within the mindset of our society. Love has been redefined after the pattern of Hollywood and taken to mean romanticism and an ego embellishing high; that is, love has become associated with self-centered feelings. If the spouse loses the luster and attraction, then that alone is sufficient justification to cast that spouse aside like some worn-out garment. Never mind that divorce ruthlessly tears at the very heart of children, especially the teenagers. To these victims, especially the children, the improper role modeling of parents seeking divorce frequently impoverishes and robs these broken and isolated members of any input whatsoever. Alienation and insecurity trail them like hounds bent on devouring them.

Thus, unnourished or undernourished family ties undermine relationships and may create an insurmountable breach. Certainly, divorce breaks family ties and sacrifices children as pawns in the selfish schemes of those who forfeit the biblical admonition of the two partners becoming one.

Divorce may rarely find justification in cases where other remedies against situations and circumstances threatening life or well being of any family member cannot, even with the greatest effort, be found. Yet, even where divorce must be seriously considered as the only recourse, such procedure, though necessary, extracts its toll. While children may find better protection and care through divorce in this case, suffering the loss of family ties threatening the security of the future, whether real or imagined, can leave indelible scars.

The divorced parent who retains possession of the child or children must find avenues to deal with the injuries sustained. The only chance to affect a difference with respect to the injured child must come from establishing clear channels of communication that provide an opportunity for a genuine bonding relationship. Feelings and deep emotions must be vented in a healthy fashion. Support and expressions of love and care can do much to help the teenager or other children come to grips with their concerns. The heart of the child or children must be given absolute focus with a movement toward meaning and purpose within the structure of God’s actions and love. The child or children must find cultivation in the sunshine of God’s glorious love and purpose as reflected through the divorced parent. This principle of dealing with teens or other children apply also in the case of a widowed or single, unmarried parent

To reiterate, life cannot survive long apart from relationships. When we speak of relationships, we speak from a biblical perspective in which a bonding takes place. If truly we do come to the relationship with our marriage partner and our children to recognize and embellish a holy attachment, we demonstrate our walk with God and establish a glowing role model that sheds light into the dark corners of our teenagers’ journeys through life.

This goal does not preclude miscues and errors, or outright stumbling and falling along the way to the extent relationships may sometimes be strained. Nevertheless, teenagers rarely fail to rebound from such moments of lapses, for far more important to them is to understand the care and the overall authenticity reflected in loving efforts than to be dissuaded by the errors of human frailty.

4. Motivational Reflections

If anything wrong lingers in the shadows just beyond our conscious grasp, we tend either to deny its existence or to relegate its influence toward insignificance or to seek some kind of escape from its threat. We may even go so far as to disguise the source consciously or unconsciously to deal with the threat through some rationalization designed to justify our ignoring or failing to cope with the threat. Yet, we cannot over-emphasis the importance that what motivates us must be brought into the light of our consciousness such that we can understand ourselves and/or others with respect to the entanglements which the intertwining of relationships can produce. This can be especially significant between parents and their children.

Take, for example, the question of what moves a parent to want the child (children) to succeed in life. Could it be that we want others to take note of what a fine child or children we are raising? Or is it possible that we don’t want problems with our child or children to upset our plans, or to interfere with our leisure or to bother us with their problems? Indeed, is the real reason we want our child (children) to be good, or to succeed, or be well adjusted, or to pursue an education, etc., tied in to our desire to live our own lives without being tied down by our child (children)? You see, motivation represents one of the most important elements in our relationships! Jesus teaches that where a person’s treasure is, there will be his heart also (Matthew 6:21).

Therefore, may we pause to ask ourselves what truly is our treasure? Is our teenager or our children genuine treasures to us? The Bible further states that as a person thinks in his heart, so is he (Proverbs 23:7a). What captures the delight of our minds? What are we most focused on in life?

Someone has rightly noted that Children bring delight when we perceive them to be glorious gifts from the great Giver, God Himself. Thus, do we absolutely accept and cherish our children more then all else as intrinsically valuable? Sadly, many parents tend to live within the scope of the superficial, the tangible world, which provides enhancement and frills, the world of the here and now that ignores directional living. Children tend to become extrinsically valuable in this scheme of living. Thus, children only serve as expendable stepping stones toward other goals. Oh, often parents ditch out money or, in some manner, pay or reward children to stay out of their hair. They may even send them away to boarding schools, or hire others to take care of them, or any number of ploys to keep a face of respectability in their dealings. All the while, children are perceived as problems in the journey of life by parents who consciously or subconsciously look upon them as either a great bother or a means to an end.

Even so, parents and children can change. Impure motivations (or ulterior motivations) can be brought to light and dealt with in such manner that resolutions can emerge. If we discover that our motives are less than pure, we have gained the first step toward dealing effectively with relationships.

If we can change our focus, we can begin to see the light. A parent may suddenly awaken to the overwhelming realization that the teenager who has been rebellious is first and foremost a person. God created this person for a purpose. That teenager’s behavior may prove totally unacceptable, even dangerous to himself and others, perhaps on a path toward destruction. But to see through the clutter of rebellion to the core of the teenager’s heart can close the gap in relationships and can begin a healing process. The courageous parent(s) can begin to uncover potential rather than dwell in the shadows of skepticism. "Sue, I know we have not been on speaking terms, but I would like for us to talk about problems. Would you please help me understand my misperceptions and how I can make amends in whatever ways I have failed you so that we can work through this roadblock?" If a parent can speak these words from the heart and with a ring of truth demonstrating genuine care, it is possible that the door could be cracked enough to establish a starting point. Or the teenager may become defensive and seek to flee from that attempt. Or the child could resort to the silent and determined stance, refusing to heed any words whatsoever. However, even if the teen becomes rock solid in resisting any overtures, this attempt does not in and of itself alone spell an end to any hope. Repeated efforts with a kind and caring voice can take a long time to break down barriers that have been erected over the years. Coupled with prayer and encouraging Scripture the parent can find the comfort from above to persist in communicating. The right motive has been engaged, but God Himself must open doors that would otherwise be impossible to break through.

Above all else, genuine love creates its own stamina such that hope will never be abandoned and the outreach will never be shortened. To be perfectly honest, the teenager may never respond, but there remains a good possibility that sooner or later he will gradually recognize the authenticity of love and begin to bond with his parent(s) and move toward recovery. At any length, the alternative to such an expression of love and care is unthinkable.

5.Thinking Outside the Box

We have all heard the expression thinking outside the box, but to what degree have we actually sought to bring ourselves to do that? We indeed are creatures of habits, influenced by culture, mores, friends or acquaintances, etc. We have developed our comfort zones, having established our perimeters through interest, necessities, pressures and expectations. Our minds tend to settle in grooves that ingrain within us almost automatic responses to given situations or circumstances.

Take, for example, the process of learning to drive a car. We strain to keep ourselves focused on each step of the process. Learning rarely reaches fluency until our responses develop toward the automatic engagement and become reflexes. After we learn to the level of comfort, we rarely reflect on what we are doing, for our reflexes carry out the tasks at hand. At that level we find ourselves comfortable. We call that our comfort zone.

Many activities, responses and initiatives in life tend to become more or less automatic. Our reflexes tend to govern during the everyday, mundane routines that do not call for special focus or concentration.

This automated process serves us well and can be a great benefit in conserving mental effort. We can continue to address other concerns while, let us say, we are driving a car. As an example, our reflexes serve us well as we drive the car such that we concentrate on our conversation with other passengers in the vehicle at the same moment.

Yet, our comfort zone can also impact us negatively. Simply settling into a comfortable habit of dealing with the things at hand, of the familiar, tangible world, the here and now and relegating all else into a fog of irrelevance may seem the easiest and less risky course. However, such shortsightedness can bring us into grave conflict with the unexpected intrusions infringing upon our little world for which we are sorely unprepared.

Our teenager fits into the smug home and we assume each day that things are intact and nothing will upset our apple cart. We are so very comfortable that we habitually think inside the box. We miss signs that our sweet teenager is fading through the cracks. Somehow she is less and less present and relationships that have been taken for granted suddenly give way to a shock wave. A call from the local police station slaps us brutally with a dose of reality. Our sweet little girl has been caught with illegal possession of a controlled substance.

If a lesson can be learned from this example, we may be propelled to broaden our awareness level. We may be prodded to think outside the box! This shock wave immediately thrusts us way beyond our comfort zone and unleashes a torrent of scathing awakening to the horrors of reality. We may even experience the psychological protective mechanism of numbness produced by shock. Reality may fade into a kind of dreamlike, unreal world because we can scarcely bring ourselves to deal with awareness. In this quandary we may cry out, "No! No! This can’t be happening to me!" Indeed, the mind struggles to deny the obvious; the pain becomes too great to deal with the jolt that our own dear little girl no longer fits within the box.

Events similar to this scenario may well be invited by our failure to think outside the box. How do we develop a habit of pushing the outer limits of our own little world and stretch our minds to probe beyond the familiar and comfortable world in which we live? Another way of expressing this notion, how do we manage to get outside ourselves?

Truly, we do well to stop where we are and take stock. Before we can get beyond our own world, beyond our own comfort zone, we must necessarily know where we are. We must know not because of the terminology and reference points of our limitations, of our own little box, but by a sense that this cannot be all there is? In other words, we must come to the place to sense a need to find fulfillment through purpose and direction that demand release from our prison, from our own little box.

But we must build upon what we do know. Right? While logic would seem to dictate such a conclusion, we need to be careful not to fall into a philosophical trap.

Rene Descartes began with self in his classic ontological argument for the existence of God. Paraphrased, his argument would go something like this:

I am a thinking human being. This is self-evident.

Since I am a human being, I am finite, which leaves me vulnerable to errors and imperfections.

But I have a concept of a Perfect Being Who is the source and reason for everything.

However, since I myself am an imperfect being, I could not have originated the concept of a Perfect Being within the framework of my own imperfection.

Hence, a Perfect Being must be the source of that concept, and if He is the source of that concept, He must exist.

If we accept the presuppositions upon which Rene Descartes built his case, the logic then is impeccable. But can we accept the premise, for instance, that we must begin with self? Can we know ourselves in isolation?

We must come to terms with the fact that we know ourselves only in relationship with others, first and foremost, and then as we relate to the world at large, the world of things, ideas and knowledge in general. Even the concept of perfection has no reference point of credible origin within the individual person himself as he is isolated, but must be arrived at through relationship of the world which lies beyond the individual person. True, an imperfect being cannot give rise to the notion of perfection, but in isolation he cannot even understand the concept of imperfection, much less perfection.

If indeed we do start with ourselves, self-concept is shaped and molded within the framework of society, first the family and then the broader relationships and the myriad of reflections and feedback in interactions and conflict. All these relationships point toward new horizons, to a world far beyond the boarders of our own circumference of focus and concerns.

The logical construction of Rene Descartes’ God becomes a cold, mathematical projection, a must conclusion with precision in calculation. The fact of God’s existence as a logical necessity in and of itself alone can muster as much warmth as an iceberg anchored in the frozen waters of the South Pole.

Far more important than God’s existence, God’s character and nature radiates like the brilliance of the noonday sun that warms the spring day to coax the flower buds to open in an array of rainbow colors. This kind of God can only be known in relationship, and relationship can only occur through communication and communication comes through revelation. Revelation means that God makes Himself known. If God is God, He can only be known as He enters from His infinite dimensions into the awareness of humanity. But God can never fit into our box!

Yet, the paradox of all the ages defies human reasoning. We tend to place on blinders to establish the territory that shields our own comfort zone, our own little box, and fail to launch out into the wonderful world of the God Who became one of us, Jesus Christ incarnate. But most assuredly He did not become one of us to leave us bound within our own little box, to our own way of thinking in terms of our own little world. He came to liberate us (John 8:32).

Through expressions of religious modes and structures, humanity had descended deeply into the confines of the box. Scribes and Pharisees had developed the circumferences of the box. Their religious legalism reduced the God of the universe to the image of mankind, rather than allowing God to break the restricted concepts and recreate humanity into God’s image. Had God Himself been allowed to act freely through the religious leadership, He indeed would have swept each person who trusted in Him into new and exciting dimensions in relationship with Himself.

Yet God’s purpose could not be ignored, for Christ presented through His life and teachings the Way beyond the confines of the box into dynamic release to establish a living relationship with the one true God. Jesus, therefore, walked among those embracing the counterfeit to proclaim the liberation through truth.

However, the Truth, Christ Himself, inevitably drew the fire of the Scribes and Pharisees, who sought to establish a secure haven for their own glory in the praise of men. Since reality could never support their pride and their smug retreat into the idol they worshiped, the created religion reflecting their own works, they sought vainly to trap Jesus. Indeed, if they could somehow expose Jesus as a charlatan, then they could avoid facing up to the truth of their own deception.

Luke 10:25-37 relates one such confrontation between Christ and an elite religious leader of His day. This familiar story, including the so-called parable of the Good Samaritan, illustrates the radical contrast between the legalistic mindset of the religious leaders to that of Christ’s God-centered, outward look toward people and their needs. The Scribes and Pharisees originated the attitude that humanity was made for the law and thus everyone should observe the very letter of the law (Mark 2:27 and II Corinthians 3:6). Christ Himself saw human need above the reason for the observance of the letter of the law. The law itself originated to serve mankind, not to make slaves of humanity.

Hence, the religious leaders tended to think within the box to the exclusion of any source of light beyond the box and indeed Christ became that Light beyond their little world in which they had become prisoners. Thus, the inevitable confrontations with those entrenched religious officials became occasions for Jesus to reveal the mighty power of truth, that light originating beyond the box of religious bigotry tenaciously defended by the Scribes and Pharisees.

On this particular occasion recorded in Luke’s Gospel, a lawyer, one of the spokesmen for the religious elite and an expert in the laws of the Old Testament, approached Jesus in an effort to entrap Him. He asked Jesus how he might inherit eternal life. He, no doubt, sought to entangle Christ, such that Jesus would stumble over technical aspects of the law. But Jesus very well knew the heart and intentions of this ploy. Therefore, Christ brought this expert of the law back into his own little box that He might bring true light to bear upon the issue. How does the lawyer in his expertise see the law (with respect to inheriting eternal life)? Indeed, just what law could give eternal life? The lawyer gave the only true answer: Love God with all you are and your neighbor as yourself. The answer suggests personal relationship and involvement with God and others. Christ acknowledged that this alone brings life.

In His setting forth the prime source of life, Christ reveals the cross. In the cross we see the vertical intersect the horizontal human plane. Love for God (the vertical) and love for others (the horizontal) fulfills completely the whole reason for the law. It is impossible to have the vertical relationship without the horizontal relationship and vice versa. In Christ the two meet in judgment, for sinful humanity dies to sin in the atonement and is transformed to a new life to walk in a loving relationship with God, which works out on the human plane as love and care for others.

But let us notice carefully how the lawyer, now cornered by his own admission, seeks to justify himself to secure his own little world, his own little box.

He again asked Christ a question. "And who is my neighbor?" In other words, how can I find the minimum requirement so that I meet the demands of the law to earn recognition from God for having kept the law?

This brings up a very interesting disposition. Where is the line? It reveals a desire to do as little as the law will allow, or, if it involves sins of desire, how close can I get to the line toward meeting that desire without actually crossing over to commit a sin? May I dream about those things I really would like to do all the way up to the line? Will I not be safe as long as I don’t cross over to commit the actual act?

Teenagers sometimes probe parents or other authoritative figures to seek the same thing. Is it a sin to…? or What’s wrong with…? This occupation with what limits exist suggests a desire to stretch just as close as possible to the boundaries.

However, Christ’s parable of the Good Samaritan makes clear that the right or wrong of any matter resides within the attitude, not in lines we draw. Sin is a direction, not a line to be crossed. Likewise, righteousness is a direction, not some law to bind us.

To understand human nature and this principle may well equip us to deal effectively with the teenagers and their questions. We need never be too critical of this mode of reasoning; rather, it can be vitally important to show love and seek to walk with the teens in a manner to help them discover the reality of God for themselves and how that reality can be expressed within their decisions.

Christ never directly answered the question of the lawyer with respect to who his neighbor is. Rather, He dismissed the concern as strictly irrelevant to life. He showed how one can be a neighbor. That spiritual insight always places the ball in our court

Certain characteristics of the Good Samaritan defy the philosophical and religious inside the box thinking of the religious officials of Jesus time on earth. The Jews and the Samaritans were bitter enemies. The Jews considered the Samaritans to be half-breeds, and there could be no dealings between the two groups.

Consequently, Christ’s choice of showing the Jew’s enemy, the Samaritan, to be the one who really helped the Jew in dire need, must have deeply stung the lawyer. None of the religious people who passed by offered to help their own in trouble. What was there in the law that specifically demanded that they take the time and trouble to do so? After all they had their own little world. They retreated to their own little box for security. The religious leaders who passed by could not see that love made any demands upon them whatsoever.

Not so with Jesus. He constantly provided a wide-open world outside the box. He provides light to all peoples of all ages to explore the unsearchable riches beyond the box.

Herein we have come to explore the dimensions of pushing outside the box, never to be confused with free swinging or morals dictated by the nature of our very own self-centered goals. Neither should we attach this principle to relativism, a postmodern breach of solid attachment to infinite and absolute reality. The subject of relativism has been dealt with more extensively in the Home Page presentations.

Perhaps a more frequent confusion with respect to the exploring beyond the box regards rebellion. True exploring beyond the box does not represent a reaction to the flaws within our world—within the context of where we start. Absolutely, the prod to spur us to move outside the box can indeed be the negative aspects crashing into our awareness, but to expend our lives seeking to eliminate the structure and/or content of our little box does not bring us outside our confinement. That reference point remains the same as before in such a case. We must forge beyond the stage of reaction to be guided by a star far beyond where we are. Thus, we must move beyond our little box by an awareness of a world far greater and more challenging; yet, a world far more promising to fulfill the very nature of our beings!

Every organization, every community, every country and every human system has its own unique reference point(s). To reach beyond must entail a reference point from beyond. There has to be some sort of inter-connectives to that which provides the reference.

The same principle reflects the relationship between parent(s) and teens. Unless the reference point provides an all-inclusive scope, communication cannot easily be established. The parent’s orientation may indicate deep and loving concern for perceived problems overcoming the teen, but the teen’s perception may reflect a reference point grounded in the immediate or urgent conflict that clouds his relationship with the parent(s). Thus, two distinct sets of value systems emerge, each predicated upon different reference points.

The true test cannot easily be measured in guidelines to determine which is right and which is wrong. To categorize the lines in this manner simply establishes the gulf that separates. Hence, the true measure of one’s direction must be gaged in the progress toward a reference point that encompasses both oneself and the other person in the dialogue. Even if such a reference point falls far short of the highest and most fulfilling one, a lower reference point can provide identity which may become a stepping stone to reach a higher reference point.

A scenario to consider: a teenager approaches her parents with plans to move out.

"What’s wrong, honey," the mother asks.

"Really, nothing," the daughter murmurs just above a whisper. "It’s just that… Well, I just think it’s time I get out and try my wings."

"But," the mother starts with a big sigh, "where will you live? I don’t like the idea that you’ll be by yourself. It’s dangerous."

"Not really, mom," the daughter mumbles. "I’ll be staying with a friend."

"Is she someone we know?" the mother questions, a bit of apprehension sifting through.

"I’ll be OK," the daughter insisted nervously.

"You’re not answering your mother’s question." The father interjected forcefully.

"Mom… Dad," the daughter complained, "don’t you trust me…? I mean, really, I am old enough to know a little something about what’s right for me!"

"This has nothing to do with trust or age," the father insisted. "As your parents, we are entitled to know who your friends are and we care enough for you to ask. OK?"

"No, it’s not OK," the daughter countered. "I need a little room to breathe. That’s all."

"You are still evading your mother’s question," the father pressed.

"All right! All right!" the daughter shouted. "It’s Tom, my boy friend. We love each other. We really do."

"Oh, honey," the mother cried, "you’re too young to marry!"

"It’s not about marriage," the daughter indignantly declared. "It’s just about love."

Allow us to pause at this point. Consider the implications and the possible directions the encounter can take from this juncture. How would we deal with this development?

However we choose to proceed, one thing should overshadow our efforts. We need to think outside the box. Perhaps we could reflect on Christ and determine to act from His compassion and care. How did Christ deal with the woman overtaken in sin (John 8:3-11)? Christ dealt in love, did He not? Did that make Him express approval of the woman’s sin?

First, in the case herein presented, which issue all too frequently strikes our homes, the concept of love the teen expresses may certainly fail to measure up to the highest, noblest love we embrace. Should we think to ourselves, simply because our concept of love based in agape reflects a different standard, we simply concede that the daughter is entitled to her own concept?

Or do we look at this situation as we would if the daughter found herself addicted to a potentially fatal drug?

Of course, most of us would agree that a bonding outside of marriage constitutes such instability as to disrupt the lives of the two engaging in the practice plus create a broken spirit of the family who cares and loves deeply. Further, the practice would redefine marriage as an option which can be dispensed with entirely. Hence, society would be thrown into the abyss of confusion and anarchy should this philosophy pervade our society to the degree of creating a common practice that would ignore marriage altogether.

However, while our goal may be to enlighten the daughter to these adverse effects growing out of the illicit relationship, most of us would agree that we must be careful to make the distinction between accepting and loving the teen and endorsing the choice that could destroy her and others.

While we have no gage to determine all the many avenues which could be opened in the pursuing discussion of the teen’s articulated intention, we may find some general principles to govern our approach.

As we have already noted a number of times, we need to exercise unwavering support for the teen as we seek gently to help her to understand the numerous pitfalls that open up on the course in which she proposes to indulge herself. Even if our dear, sweet darling moves into an intransigent stance, we need to keep the door open that communication continues. If necessary we need to persist for the long haul.

Also, it may be quite helpful to bring, in the spirit of love and concern, questions that could pose difficulty for the teen to answer, unrelentingly nudging her toward an awareness that her reasons and answers do not stand up to honesty and forthrightness.

If all we attempt fails, we must, on our part, at least, seek to keep the door open to possible future reconciliation and, above all, constantly keep her before the Lord in prayer.

And finally, we ourselves need to bathe our own consciousness with God awareness, seeking to understand through biblical revelation and the prompting of the Holy Spirit to exercise every avenue the Lord opens to approach the teen.

Sometimes, God must work through conflicts and adverse circumstances to reach the wayward teen and turn him homeward. Yet, we dare not place a time limit on the process, but forever keep the door open.

6. Love

Perhaps we have noticed that love has been an underlying theme expressed through each principle with which we have dealt. Even so, it can be quite helpful to focus on the principle of love to establish within our perspective the expressions by which love fosters its power and fruition. Love cannot be understood nor really grasped apart from the revelation through the Bible and the central character of Scripture, Christ Himself. All other concepts of love fall far short of divine love (I Corinthians, chapter 13). The Greek word from the early manuscripts, agape, adds dimensions which the pagan and non-Christian concepts of love can, at the very best, only point vaguely toward. Quite contrary to modern notions of love that places self as the residence and beneficiary of love, the Holy inspired definition of love provides a perspective of self-giving and self-sacrifice as joyful avenues through which genuine love must be expressed.

Parenthetically, may we subject love to an analysis, though all the powers of analogy in the world cannot begin to embrace the essence nor depth nor dimensions reflected through true, unfiltered and unfeigned love? We speak, obviously, of genuine agape, the character of which surpasses all human ability to comprehend fully.

Having thus declared, allow us to pose some searching questions: How do we measure this supreme love? If we say we love our spouses with all our hearts, how then can we also love our children with all our hearts? Or our teenagers with every fiber of our beings? And how then in addition can we unequivocally declare that we love God with all our beings, all that we are?

On a strictly mathematical level we may find these statements to be logically impossible, a contradiction of terms. We know from experience that any vessel already filled with, say water, cannot at the same time be filled with sand without displacing the water. How do we then reconcile the statement that we can love God with all that we are and during the same breath declare that we love our spouses or children with all that we are?

Have we ever considered that genuine love cannot be reduced to a mathematical quantity? Do we understand that any quality which participates within the scope of the spiritual, the infinite dimensions of reality, cannot be diminished, much less exhausted? To wit, if we take away a trillion from infinity, do we diminish infinity by a trillion? By the very definition, infinity means without end or without finite numbers, inexhaustible, without limits. Any mathematician can tell us that if we subtract a trillion from infinity, we have not in one iota diminished the number within infinity in the least. Neither if we multiply infinity by a trillion do we increase its numbers at all. Infinity reflects a domain that cannot be reduced to the finite. Mathematics can only point to the fact of infinity’s existence; never can any finite system reduce infinity to boundaries, much less define it completely in finite terms. Even so, infinity’s reality can never be dismissed. The finite only has pointers toward its existence. Such terms as the infinite expanse of space or time rings true, though our minds can only dwell within the confines of the limited world. The fact of infinity can easily be deduced, but its reality eludes our grasp.

It stands to reason, therefore, that those who are spiritually minded reflect an attachment, a connection, if we please, to spiritual realities. Spirituality affirms the infinite domain, God’s interaction upon the human plane, the infinite intersecting the finite world. This operation brings a broad awareness to those who respond to God through Christ. Hence, if we joyfully assert that we love God with all our hearts and beings, we draw upon the infinite and have not diminished the infinite one iota. The source of that authentic divine love, agape, provides an infinite flow. And when we also declare that we love our spouses with all our hearts, though we defy the normal definition of quantity, the expression of that agape love depends not upon the size of our hearts, but upon the infinite flow from above.

This refers us back to the discussion of thinking outside the box, for the world beyond our boxes remains eternally open as a reflection of the infinite domain, that spiritual reality issuing from God Himself.

How then can we love our spouses with all our hearts and at the same moment love God with all our hearts? This question has been toyed with because of a misperception. If we perceive ourselves to set priorities, we think of God as the first in a sequence. We risk grave consequences from such a dichotomy, which views our service to God as a first line to take care of and then frees us to do other things to fulfill our other desires. Matthew 6:33 declares, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." The reference to first herein does not employ the notion that after you do so, then you seek the rest. Absolutely not. Quite the contrary, Christ explicitly attests to the reality that all the other things to meet our needs will flow from God without our having to seek them at all. Even Paul himself refutes the false concept of making God the first in a sequence with, "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God (I Corinthians 10:31)." To serve God first must not degenerate into the misconception that we discharge our responsibilities to Him as a first in a sequence; rather, we must commit to Him first in the sense that He becomes all to us. Then, everything we do reflects our surrender to Him, to serve Him only. Now comes the clincher: If we love God with all our hearts and at the same time love our spouses and children with all our hearts, such love for our spouses and children grows out of our love for God, not in competition with Him. One facet of the dynamics of this perspective regards the truth that as we love our spouses and children with all our hearts, that very love for them reflects our love for God. God as the eternal Creator and Giver has given our spouses and children to us and this spiritual reality centers in our ability God opens up to us to see the Giver through the gift. At its deepest level, we always meet the Giver through Christ, the greatest of all gifts, and because of God’s gift of Christ, we are able to see His gift of all else, including our spouses, children, friends and the world at large. Thus, the Giver is ever present through His gifts to us.

This dimension of relating to God brings up an interesting and magnetic cycle. God initiates giving by becoming Creator and Sustainer of His entire universe. The Giver reveals Himself through His gifts, most of all through Christ and because of Christ He reveals Himself through every other gift. Responding to God’s gift of Christ and His gifts of our spouses, children, friends, the world at large, etc., we worship God through returning His gifts to Him. First of all, we give ourselves, then our spouses, children, etc., that through such renunciation of any claims upon anything as our possessions, we paradoxically find liberation. We sense a total dependency upon God and rest securely in His authority and love. In this God receives all the glory. His glory creates the brightness of His presence with us and we joyfully bask in God’s glory. As strange as it may seem, the gifts we surrendered to God then becomes ours with God on a much higher and nobler level such that all the forces of hell cannot dissipate (John 1:5).

This understanding brings us to the point of relevancy. We sometimes cling to our teens as our possessions. Oh, we may seek to evade the fact, even deny that we have strings attached to all we seek to do for our teenagers. Sometimes we may not be conscious that we hold tenaciously to them, desiring deep down to benefit from our ownership.

Even those of us who may indulge in wishes that our teens would just live their own lives and leave us alone may unconsciously desire that circumstances were such that we could exercise control over them to make them a display of our workmanship.

Others of us may care very much but be moved with less than noble motivations. We may desire that our teenagers would merely surrender to all our ideas, moral aspirations for them and become an extension to promote our values to society and/or to future generations.

However, in each of these situations we move from self as center of our own world and have not come to grips with moving to present our teenagers as gifts to the Lord and relinquishing our claim to them. This does not suggest in the least that we renege in the care and responsibilities inherent within our roles as parents. However, that role does not imply that we own our children. We must see them as gifts from God before we can return them to the Lord.

When we do return them to the Lord, we work through the Lord at that point in expressing our responsibilities to our children. We do not renounce our stewardship to the Lord, but must continue as good stewards in the love and care of His gifts, our children.

Returning to the scenario previously used as an illustration, the teenage daughter revealed the shocking news that she would lay claim to her independence and move out of her parents’ home to live with her boy friend with no consideration to preserving herself for marriage. Such a shock can create an insurmountable breach in relationship, especially to parents who fight the battle from their disposition of ownership. Those parents see the rebellion as a rejection of themselves and all they stand for. Hence, they tend to move from their little world and pass judgment upon their daughter whom they consider to be an outright traitor to all that is decent and pure.

But what then are parents to do? If we can bring ourselves to focus on the One Who owns all, including the wayward daughter, we truly have a starting point. Rather than becoming defensive about our position, we have recourse. As we focus on God’s gift to us, we leave ourselves latitude to act from God’s perspective. How does God look at sinners? At one time or another, we all have been alienated from God and in rebellion toward Him and His purpose. God approached us through two avenues. First, God loved the whole world so much that Christ came to judge our sins and purge us by His death (John 3:16). Second, He provided a transformed life through the new birth (or birth from above) empowered through His Resurrection, pictured by baptism. We have died to sin and have risen to walk in newness of life.

If we believe this to be absolutely true, how do we apply this principle in our dealings with our teens?

Christ willingly sacrificed Himself as an expression of His love. Are we willing to place ourselves at risk in dealing with our children? In other words, where is our focus? Christ’s focus is forever on us and He came to earth and died to redeem us.

We may conclude that many parents would willingly die for their children, if such decision were called for. That’s true in theory. But apply this principle in the case of the rebellious daughter. Have we ever noticed that when circumstances arise to question our own set of values, we have a tendency to defend those values and reject any person seeking to ignore or belittle them? Yet, which carries more importance, our values or our teenager? The set of values within the isolated abstract or the value of the human life before us? Of course, this does not for a moment mean to suggest compromise of genuine, valid moral and spiritual purity, but it does strongly suggest that love for the person carries greater weight and that the desire to maintain rapport and communicate that love exceeds other considerations. While condoning sin and wrong must never be implied, love expressed strongly and credibly can crack doors that may help the teen to understand and see the error of her ways. The understanding that her decisions were very wrong must become her conclusion, possibly over a period of time, and never an arbitrary inhibition from her perspective.

Such an approach from the operation of genuine love and concern must be geared, if necessary, to the long haul, never some Band-Aid or other superficial quick fix that may ease the crisis for the moment but set a time bomb for a later explosion. Agape sees beneath the sin and wrong to the potential for purity and goodness. Only God can move us to establish communication that can lead to reconciliation.

Genuine love expressed through altruistic overtures toward the misguided and shortsighted teenager may fall short of overwhelming her with a sense of warmth and emotional and mental reciprocation, but continued acceptance and understanding through efforts to reach out may initiate the germs of transformation. We may not even be aware of any possible influence for change our efforts may produce, but we must allow the possibility, whether indeed we create any impression at all or not. We must guard against the tendency to despair such that we retreat and allow the relationship with the teenager to falter toward a hostile break with the family.

Sometimes, however, even at our very best efforts, nothing can forestall the rupture in relationships, no matter how resolved and kind we seek to be. If such occurs, we must let it be only by choice of the daughter, but we must seek to make it clear that we are still there should the teenager have a change of heart. We need never heap upon ourselves blame when we have done everything within our power by God’s help to maintain communication through love with the daughter, but to no avail. God has not created us as puppets. We have the prerogative to decide for ourselves, even to the degree to rebel against all light we have.

However, if such a break in relationships should occur, we as parents must continue to assume our responsibilities. We need to express our love and concern at any possible opportunity, but whether we have any opportunity or not to do just that, we need, by all means, to hold her up to the Lord in earnest and faithful prayer. We must understand that prayer can change things. At any length, we should forever determine that by God’s grace and love, we shall never give up.

7. Communication

Every topic thus far discussed has been found under the umbrella of topic six, that of agape, genuine love, which does also include this topic concerning communication. However, without communication not even love can be expressed or known. For this reason communication must be an intricate and indispensable component of love and in like manner an undergirding of every topic discussed herein. Of course, we have already in some measure dealt with the subject of communication as it relates to the other topics.

However, not every effort to communicate can be said to achieve the goal of transferring information, disposition, intentions, etc. We, the true seekers, must make ourselves aware that speech can become distorted either by our failure to express ourselves clearly and/or by the maze of interference from the psychological or conditioned and/or distorted perspective of the one to whom the effort to communicate has been directed. While we do have some control over the speech and the emotional framework through which the speech is expressed and the accompanying mannerisms, gestures, facial expressions and tone of voice, we have little other control over how the other person perceives and reacts to our efforts. Hence, we must make every provision to assure that we do have some understanding and appreciation for the other person, even those who find themselves in the fog of bitter confusion and psychological or spiritual struggles. This may entail a process called reflection that can help assure the one we seek to address that we desire to know where he is and identify with him. While there are several aspects to reflection, essentially the process mirrors the apprehensions and other feelings often deeply embedded within the one we seek to reach. Such a process tends to externalize the deeply rooted disposition and confusion, even contradiction of emotions, and assists the person to understand himself more clearly. Reflection often draws on such expressions as restating the response of the one we seek to communicate with, "You say you feel betrayed." Or "You have a sense of hopelessness." The wording does not need to restate in exact terms, but often is better to speak in a way to clarify what we can determine the other person seeks to express.

We may take a step forward after we have established this positive identification. "How do you feel about…?" Or "What do you think about…?"

If we do not feel comfortable concerning this probing, which sometimes can be risky, especially with deeply disturbed teens, we need not despair. The most important element remains the expression of our love and concern in none threatening language and gestures. We may carefully relate to the teen without endorsing those practices which could end in his destruction and devastation of those close to that teen.

We may take the wise counsel never to be so cautious that we risk nothing, but life thrives on risks, as long as they do not include foolhardy, intrusive, insensitive and abrasive assaults against the person we seek to help. Mistakes pave the road to success, and the teen we seek to reach would invite a linkage forged through genuine love and concern, even if mistakes and misjudgments hinder the progress. Love has a unique way to plow through the thorny path to establish bonding when communication perseveres in spite of all else.

But allow us to zero in on the subject of communication. While communication frequently reflects the conveyance of information, genuine communication resounds with much, much more. More than the understanding sifted through deep emotional expressions that reveals pathos and identification, communication at its deepest level involves genuine union, a bonding bringing awesome fulfillment and oneness of direction and purpose.

An experience a number of years ago reflects relevant support to illustrate to some degree what herein we seek to focus on. I recall vividly becoming immersed in the totality of my surroundings. The vegetation, the bright blue sky, the awesome color and scent of flowering plants—all and much more created a sense of oneness within me, a oneness with my entire environment. Truly, an overwhelming sense of harmony and peace, just as though everything became a part of me and I became a part of everything, flooded my deepest being. The natural order of things all fitted together as one. And I sensed deeply that I belonged and became an inseparable component of that reality.

Some people would define such description as evidence of an aesthetic experience. Yet others may find links to mystical religious expression. I feel certain that elements of my experience have much in common with both an aesthetic experience and mysticism. Yet, I am able to bring a broader, deeper and more fulfilling explanation to that incident, a spiritual dimension grounded in God-given intuition. In other words, I encountered the Giver through the gift!

First, let us pause to focus on an important aspect. Most religions of the world have glimmers of truth embedded within them. As a classic biblical example, the narrative of creation within the book of Genesis has a counterpart in more ancient writings. The earlier myths speak of a creation by the gods, which bears a striking resemblance to the biblical narrative of creation. This fact has fueled the skeptics’ claim that the biblical writings simply reflect their primitive society influenced by mythical stories during those biblical days. Hence, biblical writings have no scientific substance to demonstrate validity.

However, these proponents of scientific strictness apparently fail to realize some basic flaws underpinning their conclusions. Dr. Phillip Johnson, who authors The Wedge of Truth, a must book for the serious searcher, holds the flame of truth unrelentingly to their hides.

Considering the earlier writings of pagan myths with respect to notions of creation, we may easily underscore some vital differences as well as undeniable similarities. The earlier myths attributed creation as an involvement of so-called gods; yet, such portrayal of these elevated characters called gods took on the nature and emotional aptitudes of glorified human characters, simply endowed with supernatural powers. Such gods competed with each other, often with fires of hatred and intent to rise above all the others.

Quite the contrary, the book of Genesis recognizes and acknowledges One Sovereign Being. However, some critics place much importance on the Hebrew word for God, Elohim. The word Elohim, the plural of the word El for God, has prominent usage, especially in portions of Genesis. Notwithstanding, these same critics ignore other Hebrew plural terms that by context clarifies the usage of plural words sometimes to stress greatness. Careful study of Hebrew and the idiomatic expressions underscores the practice of plurality of majesty, as the practice is coined. To illustrate, a reference to one very high mountain peak may be called mountains. By context this usage can easily be understood not to be more than one mountain, but may be visualized as a mountain on top of a mountain on top of a mountain, or simply, mountains, meaning a very high mountain peak. And why not plurality of majesty to refer to the One Great God, above all other so-called gods?

But let us not dwell on this aspect. The fact that the Hebrews had the revelation from God Himself did not mean that others had not the same revelation. We do well to refer to the first chapter of Romans. The entire chapter deals with the broad context of distorted and perverted revelation. We need note especially Romans 1:23, "[unredeemed humanity]…changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things." Hence, we may easily understand that the earlier creation narratives had been sifted through sinful, rebellious minds that destroyed the integrity of that revelation. Such distortion and perversion speak little to the nature of the source, the unblemished and pure origin.

I recall years ago that I often failed in elementary school to complete my work related to copying from the chalkboard the notes which the teacher had written for the class. Of course, the teacher observed my struggles.

To make a long story short, the teacher arranged an eye examination for me and as a result I received glasses. I find it difficult to express the great difference I immediately noticed. The world around me came into very sharp and clear focus. I could see things that I had never been able to see before, except as a kind of blur.

In like manner, God’s revelation came to all peoples everywhere, but sin and rebellion against God and against the truth distorted that revelation. Yet, there were those Hebrew people who responded to what light God gave them and could see God's revelation more clearly. Hence, we have the Bible. The Bible became God’s clear revelation given and preserved through the Holy Spirit’s indwelling power and inspiration. II Timothy 3:16 declares, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." This communication came through the willing response to the Holy Spirit and God’s choosing for Himself a people to become His conduit to bless the whole world (Genesis 12:2-3). Though the nation of Israel failed to meet that covenant responsibility and honor, God failed not. He came Himself through Jesus Christ, Who arose from the lineage of David, taking upon Himself the form of a man to be our sacrifice that through Him we could come into a saving relationship with God. In so doing God rejected the prejudicial claims of the religious elite that they alone represented the authority and judicatures of God’s law. God disowned such arrogant and abusive roles by declaring Himself to be no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34-35).

Yet, on a spiritual level our vision improves through total commitment and growth (Philippians 3:13; I Corinthians 13:12). Check out the Purpose Driven Life to discover principles of growth. The fact that we learn and glean more and more gradually from God’s Revelation does not suggest the Scriptures themselves prove inadequate; rather, we should not place the error within the Scriptures themselves, but we should take note to the limitation of human vision and perspective.

Neither should we discredit that vision God imparts through divine communication through His Word simply because we cannot grasp the whole instantaneously. Our understanding in part measures our trust and commitment at every level as we grow. A six-year child has perhaps some grasp of what it means for Christ to have died at Calvary. While he has not matured enough to develop an awareness of all the ramifications inherent in that awesome event, he may well be open to growth. What he does understand, however, though not measured at an adult level, has great meaning to himself at his own level of development.

Someone has noted that every ocean has its own shallow shorelines. The shallow shorelines accommodate small children who cannot even swim, much less wander into the deep waters that can even be quite challenging to older and more experienced participants.

In like manner, God’s revelation speaks to every level of human responders, to those who venture into the shallow edges of God’s communication to those who face the deepest challenges to the great expanse of God’s spiritual dimensions. Everyone must meet God where each one finds himself, for God alone can enter humanity’s experiences through Christ.

Herein comes the problem. When God enters into our experiences, we frequently seek to translate Him into our image; that is, we force Him into the box, the little world of our own interests and habits. We, in essence, pervert that revelation and attempt to make it serve our own ends. That’s exactly what the religious elite of Christ’s day resorted to. They sought to control God rather than becoming God’s messengers to the world at large.

Now, here’s the point at which the water hits the wheel. Many in our post-modern age revel in the ominous shadows of relativism (see the Home Page for a discussion of relativism). Relativism has given rise to what has been coined positive tolerance, that view which demands a disposition of tolerance for any and every point of view, religion, cult, orientation, belief system, etc. with the exception of Christianity. From this perspective since no absolute truth can exist, every belief system other than Christianity and every kind of behavior exist on an equal footing. What we may consider right for us must not be imposed on anyone else. What others believe may be right for them. Each must decide for himself (a bold and blatant expression of humanism). Of course, these illogical claims have been discussed elsewhere within this website.

One important devolution reflecting this departure from the very roots of our nation and the intention of our forefathers may easily be seen within the degeneration of language from the precise to the ambiguous. The new, modern English is replete with examples of ambiguity. This car is better than any car on the road. This statement would be more accurate to read This car is better than any other car on the road. Otherwise, either the car referred to is never on the road or is even better than itself, which would be logically impossible.

What we seek to observe with this focus relates to the atmosphere that generates ambiguity, the underlying notion of relativism. Since there can be no absolute truth, nothing really matters anyway. Why try to focus? Why be concerned at all for preciseness? We simply slide on the slopes of meaninglessness anyway. Any statement reserves the right to be as good as any other statement. Just throw concern to the wind and live whatever way we choose.

This inert and distracting lack of vision and serious awareness threatens to obliterate our very own foundations. Our nation rapidly loses its direction and purpose.

Thus, genuine communication, that which can lead to union of mind and spirit through the bonds of true love, becomes an overwhelming challenge. The hostile atmosphere smothering our very own teenagers within the scope of this dastardly poison generated through relativism and positive tolerance threatens to silence our voices and undermine our efforts. But we must never allow the forces of this darkness to weaken our resolve. The stakes are too high! Our teenagers are too precious! We must keep our eyes on the long haul!

Yet, the lingering questions with respect to progress in communicating with our teenagers may continue to nag at us relentlessly. How do we start? How do we apply these principles without bombarding our teens with overwhelming guilt and a sense of futility that could drive a permanent wedge between us?

First, we must come to grips with the Truth. We focus on that Truth through Scriptural communication, the highest and noblest Lodestar, Jesus Christ Himself. We may rightfully ask the question, How did Christ apply the Truth? In other words, since He is the Truth in and of Himself alone, how is and was that Truth radiated to us from His life and actions?

Perhaps we would do well to note that Christ never came to isolate Himself from very bad, sinful people, but was even accused by the self-righteous glory hounds, the scribes and Pharisees, of eating with the sinners. During those biblical days, to eat with someone evidenced approval and friendship with the host and/or his family.

However, Jesus loved sinners without approving of their sins. He often brought to them the light of salvation, deliverance from the bonds of sin such that many became His disciples. From Matthew 9:11-13, Christ makes perfectly clear to the scribes and Pharisees that only sinners need to come to repentance. Herein, the greatest sinners, the scribes and Pharisees, had willingly closed their eyes to the fact they needed to become what they were, sinners counterfeiting religion, before they could receive the forgiveness and redemption of God (John 9:39-41).

If we follow Christ’s example with our teens who bring deeply rooted problems to us, we must also begin where they are. We need to communicate our genuine love and concern. Indeed, we must connect through love and understanding before we can walk with them through their problems and misgivings. Doors can only be opened as communication brings light within the context of acceptance and caring.

A case in point may give us a glimmer of how to begin. A teenager by the name of John burst into the house and headed with heavy puffing and snorting toward his room. He refused to be dissuaded by any invitation to stop and explain what was wrong. He slammed the door behind him and locked himself inside. The father came to the room in a few minutes and gently rapped on the door in an effort to initiate some sort of interaction.

"Please," John pleaded, "I just want to be alone."

"May I be alone with you?" the father asked in a soft voice. "It can be better to be alone together—don’t you think, son?"

"I don’t feel…" John started and then fell silent a moment before he continued, "I mean, really no one could understand what I’m going through. It’s really better for me to be by myself."

"Well," the father said slowly as though to ponder the situation, "you certainly are right that no one understands, but, John, I’d like to be able to understand. The only way that can happen is that you explain to me what is going on."

"No! No!" John protested. "You couldn’t ever like me if you knew. I mean, it’s awful."

"John," the father responded, "just maybe I wouldn’t approve of the way you may have handled the situation, but no behavior on your part could possibly keep me from loving you and caring about what happens to you."

May we pause to consider this approach? What do we suppose prompted the father to seek John’s attention in John’s obvious distress? Do we suppose that the father would approve of whatever John did to bring upon himself and possibly others these shocking consequences? I think we feel certain that whatever wrong John did would not simply be swept under the rug as though everything is really all right. But do we not feel that the father desires to rescue John such that a genuine healing process may begin? If amends need to be forthcoming, could that be dealt with as an important part of that healing process?

Allow us to compare another possible scenario with respect to this illustrated incident involving John. Just suppose John’s father had an altogether different perspective and came to the door and banged his fist threateningly as he shouted, "John, open this door immediately! I will not put up with such rebellious action in this house."

"Please, leave me alone, dad," John pleaded in a broken voice. "I don’t deserve your concern. I’ve really messed up."

"I’m warning you, young man," the father stressed. "You’d better show me some respect and open this door immediately. You’re already in hot water. As long as you are under my roof, you better listen to me. Understand?"

Let us consider this last approach. Would this effort tend to establish good rapport with John? How would it compare to the first example? If we look at both examples, which one would tend to come nearer to identifying with John? To establish a basis to deal with John’s problem? To show John more genuine concern?

Let us introduce yet another possible scenario. The father comes to John’s door and calls in a soft voice, "John, may I talk to you?"

"Please, leave me alone. I need to be by myself," John replied. "I have done a very bad thing!"

"Oh, son," the father consoled, "everybody makes mistakes. Why, that’s expected of all of us. After all, we’re only human. Come on, let me in and we’ll discuss that fishing trip I’ve been planning for the two of us to take."

Now, when we add this last scenario, how do the three approaches compare? Which would tend to ignore the real problem? Does this last approach really establish a good foundation for further help, or actually ignore the real problem?

May we consider the spirit of Christ in our efforts to reach out and deliver our teens from the scourge of darkness which postmodern societies generate? Indeed, we must always be mindful that deliverance is possible. Which of the approaches would come nearer to helping John eventually see everything in the spirit of Christ? While John’s problem may directly or indirectly be an outgrowth of the postmodern influences contributing to his failure to make right decisions, the more important consideration would be to help John to come to see for himself (not simply told) the necessity of surrendering to Christ. No one can be forced to view, but teens can be led to a vision of greater depth and dimensions than they could ever imagine.

When communication takes place, genuine bonding provides a new adventure to find a bright new beginning and continuing growth.

We must cope with a threat, which can undermine our efforts to bond to our teens, however. That threat grows out of the mindset of the postmodern world with its humanistic, naturalistic and relativistic views. One among many dangerous conclusions inherent within such philosophical pursuits perhaps poses the greatest shadow that tenaciously resists the light of truth.

The elusive monster with which we must wrestle before we can establish the fundamental principles toward the eradication of all darkness regards evil as a mere illusion, a sole fabric of imagination. Notwithstanding, divine revelation refutes that notion. Explicit and unambiguous declarations throughout the Bible leave no doubt that our common enemy forever remains that angel of light, Lucifer, or simply Satan.

In graphic spatial imagery, we may have a useful tool as we visualize a moving wave of immense size and power expressing great force outwardly from an imaginary center point. On the external surface of that wave great changes constantly take place, evaporating all resistance and leaving everything which even hints of impurity purged and neutralized. This wave eternally moves outwardly claiming everything beyond its own circumference as it overpowers all that remain outside its own area.

But let us not view the imagery’s moving surface as sweeping across every life and event simultaneously. Nations have risen and fallen, sometimes encountering in part the movement of that mighty sphere’s surface. People have lived and died, experiencing the same movement in part. Nevertheless, that surface will not entirely move through every life and situation until the completion of God’s final judgment (Revelation20:12-15).

Yet, like the vast eye of an incredibly humongous hurricane, a genuine calm, peace and sense of security and joy thrive toward the center of the visualized sphere whose cutting, expanding surface eternally pushes back the darkness, sin and rebellion. While Christians have not yet been ushered into that inner sanctuary beyond the turbulent surface of that sphere, they are nevertheless in tune with and governed by the Lord Whose power and authority the sphere expresses. Thus, these Christians have the resource and strength to weather the storms as the surface moves through their lives, sometimes bringing suffering, strife, destitution and many other troubles. We see, then, that purpose in identity with the judgment Christ suffered through love at Calvary becomes a signal of our ultimate triumph through resurrection as Christ was resurrected.

We might even say that though Christians find themselves in many conflicts and temptations in this life this side of the sphere, they have been given the gift of visualizing the reality of the inner glory of that sphere. Those who have not that spiritual sight must seek to rely upon themselves, and when the surface of that sphere touches their lives, they immediately recoil in desperation, finding no real meaning or purpose in the suffering.

Yet, even Christians sometimes have their vision blurred and cannot understand why they must tread the valley and suffer greatly. Sometimes such difficulty for the Child of God represents God’s loving call to return to Him. C. S. Lewis describes such suffering to be sometimes the "shout" of God to catch our attention.

But the reality of power and reason may be seen in the brightness of Christians whose lives have borne great examples as testimonies to God’s grace and strength.

Consider the following life description of Annie Johnson Flint, 1866-1932.

Annie Johnson Flint’s life on earth could never be measured in any degree by comfort and ease; quite the contrary, from childhood her body endured the onslaught of Rheumatoid Arthritis until she could no longer rise from bed. Over the years the affliction took a great toll, leaving her with no choice but to seek some comfort from sleeping and resting on soft pillows. Her body developed serious bedsores and finally she suffered the ravages of cancer.

Yet her attitude through all the struggles with pain and confinement may best be expressed through one of her great Christian poems that has been set to music in many hymnals. Her faith in God and His purpose, reflected through these words, portray her deep commitment and disposition of hope and peace:

He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater;
He sendeth more strength when the labors increase.
To added affliction He addeth His mercy;
To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.

His love has no limit;
His grace has no measure.
His power has no boundary known unto men.
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus, He giveth and giveth and giveth again.

When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources,
Our Father’s full giving is only begun.

His love has no limit;
His grace has no measure.
His power has no boundary known unto men.
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus, He giveth and giveth and giveth again.

Hence, the judgment and purpose of God come together for Christians, but to those outside the will and purpose of God, such experiences at best become enigmas.

But perhaps to many of us this imagery can help us glean an idea concerning God and His judgment. From outside the purpose and acknowledgement of God, we encounter evil reflected through conflict, suffering, ignorance, loneliness, destitution and/or grief and ultimately death. These dark intrusions into the original innocence and perfect paradise evidence the action of God’s rejection, God’s judgment, if we will. Sin and rebellion cast us beyond the purity of God’s presence.

Adam and Eve met the serpent, symbolic of Satan himself, and succumbed to his wily ploy. "Eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and you will become as god, knowing good and evil (See Genesis, chapter 3)."

Hence, Adam and Eve encountered curiosity and desire to be independent, allowing no one, including God, to determine their course of action. This represents the first instance, but not the last, by any means, of egotism and pride. Here we have the origin of humanism.

From that time self-centeredness, the hallmark of fallen humanity, infects and afflicts every person who has ever lived. This character disposes every person to think inside the box, the confinement of his own little world. Each person tends to become the center of the universe, as far as his own interests and values govern.

This represents the darkness to which the Scriptures refer (Isaiah 9:2). We are admonished from perverting the sense of revelation by which we may seek to justify our own little world (Isaiah 5:20).

If we reflect upon the fallen world in which we find ourselves, we immediately find ourselves aroused to awareness of enormous conflicts, of hostilities and an endless array of disturbing threats. Something indeed is wrong with our world!

We find ourselves polarized as never before. Forces of darkness bring us to fear what tomorrow may unfold. If we analyze the nature and structure of the material universe, we notice even at the atomic level that a balance of positive and negative charges largely determines the nature and function of matter. Given an imbalance instability can result in chemical action, explosions or other consequences.

On a spiritual level, conflict and destruction may result from polarity between good and evil. Our existence here can find little security where sin abounds. Yet, such evil grows out of our rebellion against God and all that is right.

The ultimate punishment must be hell, God’s final answer to evil, creating a home for evil eternally to seal it away from His Domain of good and righteousness. Hell will be the final outcome of everyone and everything rejecting God. In a sense, hell expresses the constant and continuing burning barrier of the wave of judgment, the outer extremities of the shock wave we visualized.

To everyone outside the circumference and in the path of the big wave, everything may seem dreadfully unfair and eternal suffering an unacceptable remedy to all that is evil. Yet, in the greatness of God and in His absolute justice and righteousness, no other recourse can be possible, for should God allow a compromise and grant an eternal status to evil, heaven and all that is beautiful, right, good and wonderful could not long survive.

What, then, does this offer by way of communication with our teens? Obviously, God’s purpose can never be to destroy (Ezekiel 33:11). But He always provides Salvation and an escape from the furry of His judgment. Even judgment is meant to turn back those who violate God’s purpose (Ezekiel 23:27).

Hence, in the spirit of the Bible, we must understand that all our teens who go through rebellion, unsavory experimentation, indiscretions, illicit involvement, etc., suffer consequences. However, the suffering of loss in the process can serve a redemptive purpose. God continues to love them and seeks to provide a way out. The injury suffered can be a wakeup call.

Therefore, when we align with God’s purpose in seeking to reach our teens, we better prepare ourselves to communicate out of love, without endorsing any destructive behavior at all.

Now, which of the three types of fathers in the scenarios presented do we suppose moved most out of love toward genuine communication with the son, John, without endorsing any destructive behavior? Of course, with such a brief glimpse, it is not possible to say in what direction each of the conversations would eventually lead, but as far as starting goes, do we judge the first father to come nearest to exemplifying the proper approach to his son? Moreover, are we keenly aware of how to bring some sort of evaluation that would help us to avoid certain pitfalls and by careful analysis help us remedy our own weakness in communicating with our teens?

To deal with any possible weakness within ourselves which could impede communication, allow us now a moment to focus upon our own roles. Should we not nourish a determination to guard against a detachment which in itself could negate the sense of reality impacting us through revelation, God’s communication with us? Do we not need to bathe our efforts with continuous prayer that God would direct our focus through the Holy Spirit? In fact, is it not true that everything we research or study should, at least, contribute to our thinking progress? The process of communication can be no exception, can it? Perhaps these questions seem a bit intellectually insulting even to those of meager mental capacity. Yet, let us allow ourselves to dwell for a moment upon that which on the surface, at least, does appear to be so obvious as to call for no comment or reflection.

To wit, many apparent situations, recourses, ideas and avenues before us may, believe it or not, elude our attention. Yes, they may be set in very obvious and clearly defined and easily accessible language or thought patterns. To our way of thinking, they may need no pointers to direct our attention. Even so, we can err at times when we, say, approach our teens with certainty that the speech we use and the ideas we promote reflect the essence of clarity and simplicity such that certain conclusions can never be other than that which we consider so very transparent to us.

For that very fact we would do well to reflect seriously on the reason for our reading, research and efforts to prepare ourselves. If we consciously focus on why and how our acquisition of information and ideas along with techniques do contribute to our thinking process toward the goal of improving our communication skills, we may avoid serious roadblocks in seeking to communicate to our teens.

All this simply boils down to the use of certain words or ideas in conversation with our teens (or others) which can be loaded! We may have a clearly defined avenue of approach within our thinking, but effectively bypass some of the principles and avenues that could assist us in communicating distinctly with our teens.

To review a moment, the word love may connote within our minds the biblical concept while our teens latch onto that expression to equate to lust or living together or any number of notions. Sure, we have reflected upon the meaning within the context of this presentation, but we must also bring these principles consciously to bear upon the concept of communication. Application must not be dismissed from focus as though it were automatic. While we do not suggest that our focus be fettered like a binding chain within the deep recesses of terror, which can destroy fluency and interrupt thought processes, never should we make risky assumptions, either.

The only way to find the proper balance, therefore, may be found within our own reflections. Awareness within communication must be projected beyond words to the living reality. This living reality comes through us as we begin to identify our beings and purposes, not so much with what we have learned couched in words, but how those words have reflected God’s presence. When we meet God through the concepts and come into perfect union with Him, His Spirit then communicates through our speech and actions.

No matter how alienated our teens may seem to us, no gap can be so great that God’s Holy Spirit cannot bridge, especially when there is a willingness in the speaker and the teen, or other person, to do so. Communication at its highest must come through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit makes use of our preparation and the principles we have gleaned to make effective communication possible. Ultimately, therefore, the Holy Spirit alone can establish effective and redeeming communication! This suggests that we must always seek to be in tune with Him and responsive to His prompting.

If we will, allow me to reflect once again upon what I have expressed in the oneness with the beauty of nature and the glorious awareness of the Giver through the gift of nature and all its brilliance. That memory will be eternally etched in my mind. However, as great and wonderful as that memory glows, there’s a marvel which goes far beyond that experience.

I am the proud grandparent of six adorable grandchildren, from preschool up through sixth grade. I also have two loving sons and two wonderful daughters-in-law, not to mention God’s gift of a great wife. I have come to embrace them wholeheartedly. Each fills a special, unique niche in my heart.

Someone once asked me which of my grandchildren I consider my favorite. This person asking never expected my response when I hesitated not to say, "Megan (my first grandchild)." The person who asked me momentarily held his mouth wide open as though in unbelief when I promptly continued, "Indeed, Megan is my favorite for meganism; Hunter is my favorite for hunterism, etc." The point was well taken. Megan cannot fill Hunter’s spot in my heart; neither can Hunter fill Megan’s place in my heart. Each is indispensable.

In other words, what I felt in the experience in nature, being at one with the Creator, I feel even in a greater dimension with all those I cherish.

But this goes counter to my fallen nature. By the nature of the fall, I am basically a self-centered person, but through the redemption made possible by Christ, I have a new nature. I am becoming one with my Redeemer/Creator. Christ Himself made of us one family. He called His disciples brothers and sisters, thus creating a broader family basis. This gives us spiritual insights to understand that even those we do not know are potentially our own brothers and sisters. All this is based on the family unit. If I can love my grandchildren with all my heart in Christ, I can expand that love to all other children.

As we reflect on the dynamics of this insight, our teens can become one with us and with God. However, we can not establish communication effectively without that binding power, the One who can bring us into perfect Union with Himself and with others by the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ.

Having specifically brought into focus the hub of the wheel does not obviate the spokes and the rim. However, without the hub the spokes and rim would serve no useful purpose. But undoubtedly, the spokes and rim serve as an indispensable component when properly related to the hub.

Moreover, the hub not only serves as the operating center of the wheel, but also provides the anchor for the axle, which supports the body used to transport the payload. Each unit works together with all other units to become one in purpose. The whole vehicle may be said to be purpose driven. Even to haul and deliver the load does not become the sole end within and of itself, but the transportation of the load itself serves an end beyond itself. Hence, we may observe that all of life constitutes properly a purpose driven or goal oriented perspective. Sadly, this perspective often becomes blurred or distorted, such that we may be distracted into eddies and dead-end avenues.

How does this illustration apply to dealing with our teens? Perhaps as we focus on this principle, we may have clarity of purpose and direction in developing a scope that relates every element of conversation to a meaningful purpose driven direction. If we keep the vision in sight along with a sensitivity and conscious effort to start where the teen finds himself, often in a maze of doubt and fear, we may identify with him such that we are able to walk with him toward the higher and nobler awareness. This determination can elicit a favorable response, but whether or not such is the case, chances for progress will indeed be worth every effort. Whether we ever see progress or not, we will have given ourselves and in so doing may truly sow seeds that can significantly affect the future and leave the teen no worse than how he found himself apart from our efforts.

Bringing all Principles into Union Within One Multifaceted Purpose

The word universe derives from uni, meaning one and verse, meaning literally, turn. Hence, the notion that the many turn into one whole underlies the sense that the many retain a union of relationship with the whole. The universe retains its completeness (wholeness, if we will) in spite of the many diversities expressed through differences.

In the same sense the various principles we have dealt with under the seven topics may be brought under the same umbrella and recognized as the various facets of the higher union.

A simple illustration may suffice to illustrate this reality. This page which we read depends on the contrast between the background and the inscription. The difference between the background and the script find union in meaning which can only be possible by that contrast. The reading of the transcript proves the point because the reader brings to bear his reading skills to glean meaning from the words, which stand out clearly because of the contrast. Conclusively, differences find union as conjoined with purpose and meaning to become the ultimate glue holding all things together.

Paul bears this out in Colossians 1:17 when speaking of Christ, he says, "And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist." Christ Himself is therefore that purpose and meaning, the ultimate glue holding all things together. That perspective underlies the course of John, the first chapter. In the beginning was the Word… Words originate out of the necessity and purpose for communication. When God communicates to us, the Word takes on the dimension of reality itself, the Word in human flesh, lived out and affected atonement and redemption through the cross and Resurrection. When God spoke the universe into existence, He spoke through that same Word, Who became flesh and dwelt among us.

In our societies, words are never the reality to which they point or reflect. In God’s dynamics, however, expression can never be less than reality. Jesus and the Father will forever be One and the reality expressed through that union will ever be a living, dynamic Presence, God Himself born and living through His believers. Hence, God lives out His life through us, a continuing incarnation. We must never confuse the issue. We are never ourselves gods, but God lives through the responsive and sensitive believer! This can happen only through the Holy Spirit, God’s dynamic, spiritual presence with us who believe.

This basic, fundamental insight lends a positive atmosphere conducive to communicating with our teens. Out of this spiritual dynamic the radiance of love and concern enriches the tone and carries a greater import for establishing and maintaining communication across what might be perceived as an impossible gulf.

What we desire to glean with respect to all the principles under every topic remains bonding (union) through love and concern, which must become the untiring goal even at risk of loss or whatever sacrifices necessary. Many steps can be taken up the ladder of purpose when the atmosphere reflects that loving, caring interfacing. The agape love demands self-giving, self-sacrificing steps toward the alienated and/or distressed teenager with the purpose of communicating God’s love and forgiveness. A teenager will become more likely to respond within such an atmosphere and more likely to express a willingness to see the light than with an approach such as you know better than to act that way or you should wake up and listen to me. The wrong approach grounded in intent to demand respect and right action tends more than likely to polarize attitudes and affirm the chasm separating parent and teen.

A sad illustration may well demonstrate the consequences of an attitude and disposition laden with self-centered and defiant demands against a child.

The story related by a minister reflects the disturbance and dysfunction experienced throughout the life of the lady unfolding the story.

From her earliest recollection this broken woman told of the role her father assumed. He did not hide his bitter resentment that he had wanted a son and blamed the daughter for his failure to have a son in place of his daughter.

Beyond that revelation he only had disapproval for any and everything the daughter tried to do to gain his approval. Never once during the life of the father did he ever have a kind word for the daughter.

This lady carried the ghost of her father throughout her life, even into marriage such that it adversely affected her relationship with her husband. It made no difference in her mind that her father had long passed away before she reached old age, but this lady of then eighty-six years of age told the minister that she could never get over the tragedy of her unsuccessful struggles!

Surely, self-centeredness and self-determination bear unthinkable consequences through sacrificing the life of a child by defiance and bitterness. Hence, every life must be nourished by genuine love and concern beyond what petty selfish ambitions may dictate!

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NEW LOOK

Our text has been revised. We no longer make frequent use of the he/she, his/her, himself/herself, etc., gender friendly and neutral terms. One of the major reasons for this change regards an effort to make expressions less interrupting; indeed, some readers find the frequent usage distracting. While we do seek to be accommodating to gender sensitivities, we now make use of the generic he, him, etc. without attaching any male chauvinistic slant to these terms. We trust that for the sake of simplicity and clarity, everyone will understand the merit of this change.

Important Disclosure

With the exception of references to public figures and other areas of public domain regarding any entry into this website, I, as the textual content writer, respect the rights of privacy and am also very careful never to violate copyrighted material. Consequently, any illustrations used herein simply represent conglomerate abstracts that do not place anyone at risk of being identified personally.

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Our aim is to serve the needs of those who search together with us to explore with a desire to uncover a greater expanse of truth than we can ordinarily be aware of. Of course, we make no claims with respect to cornering the truth, for no person can embrace total truth any more than the lowly ant can reach the sun and thoroughly explore the entire burning, exploding surface. Truth will forever remain greater than the sum total of all populations of earth, past, present and future!

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