more . . .

The underlying unspoken side of the last post is relational.

Are we afraid of older children and younger children growing relationships? Is our culture so saturated with bizarre crime stories and inappropriate sexual relationships that we and our children with us have lost the ability to love one another without all that cultural baggage? When we live in fear we serve an impotent god. We make God very small and powerless. I'm not talking about being irresponsible and stupid - we also serve a God whose depths of wisdom the most ancient human being will never fathom.

Yes, we're fallible human beings but if any community of people should be working hard to learn to love one another with a pure heart, shouldn't the church? The church - the Bride and Lover of Christ, children of the living God who's name is Father, Love, Truth, Judge, Shepherd, Counselor, Shield, Refuge - go through the names of the God of the scriptures. That's who He is. That's Who we represent - every part of Him. Oh yeah, He's God. Maybe that's why it takes generations to express who He is and why God is so patient with us!

We represent Him to our children, to one another, to the world around us. We stand in His presence and He decides whether or not we're doing a good job representing Him. Didn't Jesus come saying, "that which I see the Father do, I do" - (present tense)? Ok. Not an exact quote. Here's the exact quote. As always, read it in context. Maybe it's out of context here. But I still think it's relational and I still think it applies.

If we succeed, we will see the way we represent Christ Jesus reflected in our children - the way they interact with us, the way they interact with one another, the way they interact with any age, ethnicity, creed, socio-economic or educationally different, the way they interact with and love the world. It isn't memorizing the scriptures that count, it's the way we live them. That's what it's all about.

Each time we succeed, imagine God's joy!