I am a person who loves to give my wisdom out to any and all who will listen.  My greatest joy is to teach; whether it is one on one or tens of thousands... ready to answer the complicated life questions about family, love, marriage, dating, church, children... willing to give my faults, successes, etc..  
    But, there has been one question that I have not been able to answer, no matter how much life experience I have, (well I am sure there is more than one~ but today we are focussing on this one) what to do for those children who have been raised in the church by parents who were spiritually deaf and morally bankrupt.
    This thorn in my flesh raised it's ugly head again this week, as it has so frequently in my Christian life.  A young man, whom I have known since he was potty training, needed guidance; he is still at home, his parents confess to be Christians but have NEVER led the life.  He has only heard the Word preached, never seen it lived at home, he knows the right way to go, yet, has never seen it  walked out daily.  
        This is where we reach the dam every time.  He is still a minor, can't move out, has no education, no money, no support from family, but he needs help.  Before we go too far, we have talked to the parents on more than one occasion as have  pastors and church leaders, they will not change.  Prayer works, we know that, we experience the joys of answered prayer every day, but this young man as well as many others need help in the natural...now.
    I am not willing to lose another good kid to the world because their parents are happy living a lie, happy compromising the Word and happy living off the pity of people who don't know truth.  I will not lose one more...no...NO... NO!
    I have seen this more in the last ten years of my Christian walk than ever before, maybe I was just oblivious when I was younger, I was busy raising my own brood of little chicks, I couldn't see past my front door.  Maybe.  But, I think it is more the issue of, like my previous blog, people aren't hearing the truth and therefore they justify how they live and how they raise their kids as acceptable; when it is so far from acceptable~ it is outright sin.
     Years ago,  we had the same situation in a church we attended, we wanted to help, but couldn't take the child out of the home, the parents wouldn't admit they were at fault for anything much less that their child was at risk for severe failure if left on the path he was walking.  Again, pastors and leaders tried to counsel, the chid was in the youth group, people cared what was happening in this family...but the outcome was as was foretold.  This young man is living far below his rights as a believer, and doesn't even know it.  His mother and father blame friends, school and even the church, they, after all had done everything in their power to give him a good Christian upbringing....
       How many kids are we going to lose to this same situation?  I have great plans for a big compound where all of these kids can live in peace and harmony being taught the Word and getting an excellent education, all the while preparing them to serve their community and help those less fortunate  while living a life of integrity and character.  I know I am dreaming, I know.   How can we convince these parents to give up these kids that they are raising so wonderfully?  That's the crux of it all, everyone with discernment knows where these kids are headed, everyone except the very ones that could make the biggest  impact.
      So, we do what we do, educate the parents and pray they get it before it is too late.  We plant the seeds, provide the water and even give soil additive.  But the ground has to be good ground, not rocky, not sandy; soil ready to give life to new plants.
       What about my young friend?  I don't have the answers, I am praying, asking questions, talking to other people, but as of today, he is still in need of help and I am not sure of what to do....in the meantime, if you see any compounds for sale reasonably...let me know.