TRIBAL LESSONS

Once upon a time, not so long ago, I was a Sunday school teacher. My class consisted of teenagers between the ages of 13 and 18...a difficult demographic for any teacher.

Teaching was not my "calling" in life so, I am not a great teacher; but the fact that my two teenage sons were in the class, spurred a more impassioned approached in my effort to teach.

I like to think I might have given them something of value, and perhaps effectively demonstrated, that morality and responsibility are not conclusive to religion; but have very practical and extensive, life influencing qualities.

I always believed that writing was my "calling," however I am not a great writer. The following bit of "prose" was an attempt to focus the attention of a group of teenagers, and open their minds. My hope was to spark a small light that might help them glimps a measure of possibilities. My goal was to teach them that life does not come with a magic eraser. We are all accountable, and we will all experience the consequences of every choice we make - good or bad.

DISCALIMER: There is no lecture or sermon intended here, I am simply sharing my attempt at creative teaching and perhaps - as in all things we write - a little of my own soul.

We are at war...can you hear it?  Can you feel its rage?  Can you 

see the slaughter?  Will you survive it?  I hope so.

This war is not new.  It is older than time.  It began before 

memories and will not end until all is forgotten.  Time slips 

past the portals of what is and what is to come, as two kingdoms 

battle for the souls...the essence...the life force of all mortals.  

Both kingdoms seek out those who will serve one king; and we will 

all serve...we are all soldiers engaged in combat as we walk 

through this space of breath.  We are drafted at birth - trained 

by life - and somewhere along the way, by our own determination, 

we choose the kingdom in which we will abide and the king we will 

honor.  We must choose, for to do nothing makes its own choice.

To which king have you given your allegiance?

The King of Heaven? 

He existed before the beginning.  He created this space and time, 

and gave the mortal his own breath.  His heart is pure and good; 

and his holy cause is to save the mortal...his creation...his 

love, from utter destruction. 

He provides his warriors with the armor of courage, the helmet of 

wisdom, the shield of peace, and the sword of truth.  The King of 

Heaven is forever watchful of his warriors and surrounds them with 

invisible forces of light, which do battle with the forces of 

darkness for their sake.  He has promised them the whole of his 

kingdom and total victory in the end.

The King of Darkness?

He is an apostate ruler, who dared to set up a kingdom in rebellion.  

His heart is black and he wears many faces.  He has no love or 

compassion for those who serve him; death and destruction will be 

their reward. His forces, disguised in a cloak of familiarity seduce 

the unspecting with promises of fantasy, power, and glory... they 

enchant the mortal mind and heart with lies, lust, and deceit.  His 

ruse for seduction relies upon the fears and weaknesses of those who 

are complacent, innocent, lonely, poor, and foolish. 

So be mindful my child of the shield and sword you choose to carry.  

Be wary of songs sung so sweetly to lure you into the pit.  Do not 

walk in sleep - eyes closed to the enemy surrounding you.  Weigh 

carefully the wages of this war and be certain that the King of 

Darkness has no victory in the end.  The fate of this world has been 

foretold.

We are at war. Can you hear it?  Can you see it? Or do you not know

that it exists?  

Have we grown so accustomed to this war that we no longer hear the 

battle cry of the invading army, or the moaning of the fallen children 

that litter our world?  Time is running out...all is almost forgotten... 

we must remember... we must have eyes that see and ears that hear the enemy,

for he is everywhere.

The years have gone by, and all of those teenagers are grown whith children of their own now. Was I successful in teaching them something that made a difference in their lives? I can't say...I can only hope.

My sons turned out well. I can be proud of the men they have become... maybe I was a better teacher than I imagined myself to be.

IN CASE ANYONE IS INTERESTED

I have retitled this hub "tribal Teaching," because it was really about my effort to teach a group of teens, who came from the same Christian background, with similar interest and experiences.

I was a member of a Methodist Church at the time I wrote this. Today I am not a member of any church, but I am still a Christian trying to follow the teaching of Jesus. At this point in my life I would rather interpret those teachings for myself. I believe that all historical writings, just as modern writings, are a reflection of the writer and the times, and cannot always be literally translated by modern thought and language.

I hold no allegiance to any denomination other than my own (whatever that is), and I do not promote any religion, although I do disagree with some, but that is a personal matter, and better left in my head.