The green house effect.

In a green house a seed is planted.

It's nurtured under the right temperature.

It's given the correct amount of light.

Until the seed cover pops off and

out burst a tiny plant.

Healthy, strong, and growing

under the direct influence of the house it's in.

The only problem is the greenhouse

has not prepared the tiny plant for

adversity.

In our community I see so many

kids, my own included, that are raised

in green house conditions.

Perfect amount of schooling,

Perfect amount of socializing,

Perfect amount of church,

perfect amount of friends and only

"like minded" friends.

We pay for our kids to go to the best

violin teachers, piano teachers, voice teachers...

Then they will, Lord willing, get

married to someone who has been raised in

the green house down the road under the same

perfect conditions.

They start their own green house and are happy.

Of course they're happy.

Their whole life has been about them being

comfortable in their green house.

My heart breaks when I think about

all the trouble we go through raising our kids in the

right conditions, teaching them bible verses,

making sure they learn all the right truths,

but..

They never feel inclined to make a difference in

the world.

Sometimes it's a lack of passion,

Sometimes it's a lack of knowledge that

there is a lost and dying world right outside

their safe green house but more often

it's our fault as parents.

We are passing down our laziness.

(The sins of the father)

We struggle to live out our faith and so

our kids will struggle.

Yes, they will thrive

in our greenhouse and most of them will pass down a

great greenhouse life to their children but

we have to pass down a love for all of God's people.

We have to be willing to stand with our children and help

a lost world.

We have to pass down a passion for the orphans of this world,

the homeless, the widows. Yes, we have

to grow strong plants for the next generation but we cannot

forget the passion of Christ. Teaching our children

to love children and to love being keepers at home

is what I'm about but I also want them to be about

the orphans and the needy

that are not growing in a green house. I can only teach that

when I come out of the greenhouse and go with my

children to the battle field.

It's all in vain if we raise up an army and our

army is never sent to the battlefield only to the

green house next door.