[Peter Debelak]

Testing123:

Your response hits on a number of things I have been considering. As par for the course, I won't hit them all and certainly not in any systematic way.

Let me begin by acknowledging your challenge to my statement "let them fall head first into the emptiness of the world." It is a challange well taken. My statement has a negative connotation since I reference the "emptiness". I only reference the emptiness from a "dramatic irony" point of view (where the speaker knows more than the actors). From the child's point of view, who does not know the Lord, I would reframe the statement "let them strive for excellence and uprightness in the world." Let them thoroughly engage with life, armed with what we teach them: the law and righteouness - and a "spirit" and approach that strives for truth, that gropes for understanding.

Its true, the world has a powerful attracting power - both positively and negatively. Success can be devourous. And the flesh is persistent. Thing is, I have known parents who - for all their children - strive to create a restrictive environment which would result in your "other-worldly" identiy. And these parents, well, they end up with one kid who's absolute for the ministry, one kid who finds drugs a pleasant release, and yet another who thinks both their siblings are ridiculous as he masters wall street. And then I've seen the parents who "let their kids go" - with much of the same results - in regards to finding faith (i.e. I'm not getting into a more general discussion on parenting).

What I've said/questioned in my previous posts below - that can turn into its own "way" of doing things.

I think the central thought - in relation to desiring true faith from our children - must be a realization that they are not ours. They are the Lords. And like all things with that Fellow, the "way," the timing and the convicting are in His hands.

As to children appreciating the "familiness" - the way of life and the conviction of their parents - even being a part of it even before it is "theirs," I agree to an extent.

I will make a confession to you: in the period in my life when I rejected God and Christ, I obviously could not say I had faith in God. I could say, however, that I had faith in my father's faith in God. There is something powerful there. Something that was a protection for me. I don't really know how to expound on that more. I will leave it at that...

I hope we can search this out some more...

Peter