Hi, I'm Kathy Matthews
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and this is
"Thinking About Home."
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And I'm glad to
see you back again.
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We're going to be talking today
about family life naturally.
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And since we're suppose
to be "Thinking About Home."
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Have you ever
considered where you live?
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What your
setting, your home is in.
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Today, we're gonna be
talking to Dr. James Tucker
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from Andrews University, Jim.
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Glad to be here.
I'm glad you're here.
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And I'm thinking of the
first time that we met, Jim,
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do you remember the
setting that we were in?
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Yes, I was invited to speak
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at a family camp
meeting in Washington State.
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And by the way I
like family camp meetings.
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And this one was geared
toward the family, wasn't it.
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That's right, the
whole thing. Yeah.
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In fact, I don't even
speak at camp meetings anymore
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unless the whole
family is together.
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The thing I like about
it was that the whole family
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was together for
every meeting, right.
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And it was out in
nature, it was a camp ground
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kind of setting where
everybody met together.
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You didn't take the
kids away from the--
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from the parents, so
that we could have our time
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and you would just stop
may be sitting the children.
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No, absolutely not,
that's exactly what I mean,
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that a whole family was together
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and we did nature
things for the whole weekend.
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And I was thinking
though in particular,
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something that our
daughter did to you.
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Oh, on the Sabbath
afternoon hike. Yes.
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Where we were going out
and checking what things
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that we could find and
we found some edible fruit.
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Rose hips, I think was
it, or something like that.
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Rose hips, yes, it
was, I've forgotten that.
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And was it
Rachael? No, it was Serra.
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It was the older one.
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And Serra said,
when I was demonstrating,
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it could be eaten and
I've eaten and she said,
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you shouldn't be doing that
that's eating between meals.
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And I really no
what to say, you know,
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I was modeling
inappropriate behavior
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as far as she was concerned.
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Yeah, she thought so. Yeah.
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She kind of took
you by surprise. Yeah.
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Serra can do that sometimes.
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She is little more subdued
than she used to be though.
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Jim, we're gonna be talking
about family life naturally
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and this is something
that you've been talking about
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a great deal being
at, Andrews University,
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and you go out to speak
in lot of different places.
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And I think you
must have a burden
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for family life
naturally, the natural setting.
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So what kind of
environment, do you think
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the first
family was created for?
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Well, and I think
that's the place to begin.
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We are naturally created
by God for a certain setting.
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He put us in a garden.
That wasn't an accident.
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If He'd have wanted
us to live in a city,
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He would have created
a city and put us there.
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The city was
something that came later
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and some of us can't, you know,
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can't help with the fact
that we live in the city.
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But at least we can
create the environment
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later or in some other way.
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But our natural environment,
our natural inclination
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is to be in a--in a
garden, in a field, in a forest,
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in a wood, some
place where we can be
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as close to the
creator as possible.
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You know, obviously,
God, doesn't make any mistakes
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when He did that as
all else that He did.
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He had a plan for them
to be in a special place.
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Why do you think that
it was such a good plan?
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Well, He created us, and
then He created the environment
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to allow us to
develop in the way
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that He wanted us to develop.
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But I think as an
educator, more importantly
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He surrounded us
with learning experiences.
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And He put His
truths, His character,
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His love, His power,
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everything He wanted
us to learn all around.
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So that it could be like
another book as we often say,
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God's two books. Yes.
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In fact it was
his original book.
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Well, I remember--you
know, the first time
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I ever heard that was
through you that you felt like
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His first book was
nature, not the written book
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that we have in the
Bible, that you feel like
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His first book was
nature. Well, that's true.
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The God wrote two books.
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The Book of Nature
was the only one that,
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Adam and Eve had and their
teacher by the way was Jesus.
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And I like to say that
angels were the teacher's aids.
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I suppose they were.
And the materials of nature,
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the things of nature,
the animals, the birds,
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the stars, the clouds
everything were the text book
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and they were
totally illustrated.
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There were no text
as we think of today.
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It was just all pictures.
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Well, you know, he had
His government, He was,
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it sort of calming environment.
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He had His government for them.
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How can we come as
close to God's plan today?
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Well, I don't think
that there is any difference
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in God's plan then and
now. You don't think so, ah?
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No, I think the
plan is the same.
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Why have we come to
what we've come to then?
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Because of
artificial excitement. Yeah.
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That there is a
devil you know. Yeah.
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And when he came into
the garden, it was his plan
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to get man away
from the original plan.
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And he did that
by lying, by creating
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an artificial sense of security.
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An artificial
sense of what was fun,
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or what was wanted or he lied.
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He said, if you do
what I want you to do,
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you will be like God, etcetera.
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And throughout history,
the devil has been saying
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that to man, come over here
and enjoy these excitements,
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these
experiences, these amusements,
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these entertainments
and you'll have a good time.
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And all of that is pulling
us away from the plan God,
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instituted where
it's nonetheless exciting,
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it's nonetheless inspiring.
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But it's a
natural way that meets
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the natural
inclinations of the mind,
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it doesn't stimulate too much,
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it doesn't stimulate
too little, it's just right.
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Naturally motivating.
Yes. As source for learning.
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We are, we are born
with a desire to learn,
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that's inbred, it's genetic.
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You can't--you don't
have to teach a child to talk.
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You just talk to the child
and the child learns to talk.
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You don't have to
teach a child to walk,
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they're born with
the motivation to do it.
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So you just encourage it.
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You provide them with
an environment that allows
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them to do it
and then encourage it
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and they do it naturally.
Learning is like that.
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We're naturally born to
learn. We're naturally want to.
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It's unnatural to have things
get in the way of learning.
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And humans are really
good, at putting barriers
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in front of learning, or
keeping kids from learning,
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what they want to learn,
when they want to learn it.
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I remember you were talking
to me one time about that.
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And you were telling
me that it is possible
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to stifle talent and giftedness.
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And that makes me
think of this barrier,
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the humans are good at
putting barriers in the way.
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And we do that by
when the child says,
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I want to learn about this.
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Which is natural by the
way when you're out on a walk
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in nature, or in the
yard, or in the garden.
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And the child
will find something
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and they will say
tell me about this.
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And it's so natural
to be able to do that.
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My mother was
really good at that.
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She would say, well
let's go find a book.
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Let's go find the
encyclopedia, or the dictionary,
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or a guide book
and look that up.
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My father was always the
one who found interesting things
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and my mother was the
one that helped us figure out
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what it wasn't
that, that put together--
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a kind of a family
arrangement for us.
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But supposing you were to say
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when the child is out
in the walk, what is this?
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And you say, well, don't know
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that's not our
curriculum for today.
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That's not what we're
studying today. Right.
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That's we're gonna
study that next year.
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What does that do to motivation?
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I want to study it
today, that's you know,
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the teachable moment
is what it's often called.
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Golden moments for teaching.
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Now when I'm
motivated to learn it,
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it's the time to learn it.
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So why don't I--I
can only do it now,
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so don't stop
me from doing that.
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Now does that mean
there shouldn't be a plan
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or an order to curriculum.
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No, not at all, but
it should be flexible.
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And that's another
thing that nature is,
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you never know,
what's gonna happen.
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When you walk
outside into the garden,
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or when you walk outside
into the woods, you never know,
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what's gonna be there
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and that's one of the
exciting things about.
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So we should emulate,
God's plan by getting out.
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As often as
possible. And being a family.
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With the family and
doing just what comes naturally
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as the phrase goes,
just letting it emerged.
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It's something like
taking time to smell the roses.
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Yes, very much so.
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You know, you were talking
one time to me about your dad
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and some of the
techniques he used.
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Can you tell me a
little bit about that?
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The one that was my
favorite and the one
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that he always inspired us
with was what we've refer to.
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Well, he would-- We
would be walking out
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my brother Dean and I would
be walking through the woods,
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or the fields with
my mother and father.
00:10:00.93\00:10:03.24
And we would all be
exploring in our various ways
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and my father would
come upon something.
00:10:06.31\00:10:07.86
It might be just a
strange looking rock,
00:10:07.87\00:10:10.29
or it might be a tree
formation, or something,
00:10:10.30\00:10:12.41
his eyes were always looking for
00:10:12.42\00:10:14.67
what he called
something different.
00:10:14.68\00:10:17.14
And he would say--
That's the part I remembered
00:10:17.15\00:10:18.85
is all way-- the
way you said that,
00:10:18.86\00:10:20.38
because you're from the
south right, originally.
00:10:20.39\00:10:22.14
Something
different. Something different.
00:10:22.15\00:10:23.79
Yeah, and he would
say hey, Jim and Dean,
00:10:23.80\00:10:26.35
here is something
different and he wouldn't know
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what it was, no, what he
particularly care what it was.
00:10:28.76\00:10:31.93
It was
fascinating, it was different,
00:10:31.94\00:10:34.20
it was unique, it
was a natural phenomenon
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that he'd never seen before
00:10:37.31\00:10:38.68
and he wanted
immediately to share it.
00:10:38.69\00:10:40.93
So, he'd say come
on-- Probably by saying it
00:10:40.94\00:10:42.74
that way to you,
you suppose his tone
00:10:42.75\00:10:44.58
or the peek
curiosity, to peek the curiosity
00:10:44.59\00:10:47.69
of your boys, oh, what's the,
00:10:47.70\00:10:49.12
this new something different
thing that he has found.
00:10:49.13\00:10:51.45
Of course but it
wasn't that anything he did
00:10:51.46\00:10:54.27
to try to get us interested
00:10:54.28\00:10:57.46
and it was no plan of
his, he was interested.
00:10:57.47\00:11:00.33
It was, it was--
Because he was interested.
00:11:00.34\00:11:03.20
Yes, he was interested himself.
00:11:03.21\00:11:05.86
And it was, it
just caused us to be
00:11:05.87\00:11:10.52
interested in
too, interested too.
00:11:10.53\00:11:13.43
Well, you have a story of
maybe something in particular
00:11:13.44\00:11:16.94
that your father
may have found or?
00:11:16.95\00:11:18.99
Yes, it started, when in fact
00:11:19.00\00:11:23.08
I was very young,
four, five years old.
00:11:23.09\00:11:25.81
And I remember the
mantle of our house
00:11:25.82\00:11:30.24
over the fire
place had the alphabet.
00:11:30.25\00:11:33.11
I learned the
alphabet in sticks, in twigs
00:11:33.12\00:11:39.65
and on Sabbath
afternoon walks and other times
00:11:39.66\00:11:41.84
when he was working outside
because we lived on a farm.
00:11:41.85\00:11:45.29
He would find letters
of the alphabet in the way
00:11:45.30\00:11:50.36
the twigs were arranged.
00:11:50.37\00:11:52.60
For example, it
would be easy to find a "Y"
00:11:52.61\00:11:55.45
or a "V" because of
twig would come up in branch.
00:11:55.46\00:11:59.91
But it was hard to
find some of the letters,
00:11:59.92\00:12:03.00
but he would keep
looking, keep looking and so on
00:12:03.01\00:12:05.10
the Sabbath afternoon at
several times I can remember.
00:12:05.11\00:12:08.84
Oh, here's an
"A" or here's an "N".
00:12:08.85\00:12:13.29
And he would cut it
carefully off and take it home
00:12:13.30\00:12:17.80
and put it on the
mantle and that's the way
00:12:17.81\00:12:19.71
I learned the alphabet.
00:12:19.72\00:12:20.76
Oh, that sounds like
a lot of fun, you know,
00:12:20.77\00:12:22.46
I don't remember that story.
00:12:22.47\00:12:23.47
I don't remember you telling
that at the family camp meeting.
00:12:23.48\00:12:25.64
You may have, but
I don't remember it
00:12:25.65\00:12:26.83
and I think that's interesting.
00:12:26.84\00:12:28.10
We never did that,
we did other things.
00:12:28.11\00:12:31.50
But you have, Naming
Game, what do you mean by that?
00:12:31.51\00:12:34.93
Well, the Naming Game
is one that I invented
00:12:34.94\00:12:37.95
with a group of students.
00:12:37.96\00:12:39.81
And that's where
we play, Adam and Eve.
00:12:41.60\00:12:43.66
Adam and Eve--
Oh, oh, I see, okay.
00:12:43.67\00:12:45.19
Adam was told and
you remember playing
00:12:45.20\00:12:47.78
we did that at on the
family-- On, on the walking.
00:12:47.79\00:12:50.21
Yes, Adam was told
to name everything.
00:12:50.22\00:12:53.77
What an exciting opportunity.
00:12:53.78\00:12:55.52
There was no field
guide, he couldn't look it up.
00:12:55.53\00:12:58.81
And one of the things
that this illustrates for me,
00:12:58.82\00:13:02.41
I'll comeback to
the game in a minute.
00:13:02.42\00:13:03.83
But it's important
that families understand
00:13:03.84\00:13:06.85
or know, that it
isn't necessary to know
00:13:06.86\00:13:10.39
the names of
everything, to appreciate them.
00:13:10.40\00:13:13.05
Adam didn't know
the names of anything
00:13:13.06\00:13:15.67
until he name them, so
there was no field guide.
00:13:15.68\00:13:19.08
It isn't necessary to
know the biology of things
00:13:19.09\00:13:21.65
and how everything works
that's the discovery part.
00:13:21.66\00:13:24.51
When Jesus was
out on the hillside
00:13:24.52\00:13:26.33
and He said considered the
lilies, he didn't just say oh,
00:13:26.34\00:13:29.44
look at the pretty
flowers, he said consider--
00:13:29.45\00:13:32.82
which has another
thought about the word.
00:13:32.83\00:13:35.35
Think about it, how they grow.
00:13:35.36\00:13:38.08
Oh, there is more to
this than just pretty flowers.
00:13:38.09\00:13:41.13
There is a whole thing here.
00:13:41.14\00:13:42.80
So, and the Naming
Game, take the family out
00:13:42.81\00:13:46.72
and you find something
that you don't know the name of.
00:13:46.73\00:13:50.65
And we say well,
let's name it, that's play
00:13:50.66\00:13:54.25
we're like this is
the Garden of Eden.
00:13:54.26\00:13:56.40
And we're Adam and Eve,
and you're the, you're Seth,
00:13:56.41\00:13:59.33
and Enos or Abel or
what are we gonna called this
00:13:59.34\00:14:06.31
and then you find out well,
00:14:06.32\00:14:09.24
what is it take
to name something.
00:14:09.25\00:14:12.33
Well, you could name
it for a characteristic,
00:14:12.34\00:14:14.92
you could name it for a
time of the year, or something
00:14:14.93\00:14:17.35
that it reminds you
off, anything you want to.
00:14:17.36\00:14:21.15
And once you
name it as a family,
00:14:21.16\00:14:23.35
it becomes your
special name for that thing.
00:14:23.36\00:14:27.41
And it's very easy
Kathy to move from that
00:14:27.42\00:14:30.54
to another name, my name
written in the Book of Life.
00:14:30.55\00:14:36.40
So you're
talking about relating it
00:14:36.41\00:14:38.11
to heavenly experiences
or-- And all of these things
00:14:38.12\00:14:40.34
should be--and that's
why God put it up there.
00:14:40.35\00:14:43.39
So that we can
relate immediately to--
00:14:43.40\00:14:45.62
To biblical truths.
To the truths of eternity
00:14:45.63\00:14:48.78
and how aren't--in
the name, you know,
00:14:48.79\00:14:51.30
is my name written there
is a song you want to sing.
00:14:51.31\00:14:53.22
Yes, yes.
00:14:53.23\00:14:54.38
And God knows everyone's name
00:14:54.39\00:14:56.74
and there's my name in His book.
00:14:56.75\00:14:59.29
Lot to talk about. Yeah.
00:14:59.30\00:15:00.82
It would bring up a lot of
subjects to talk about. Yeah.
00:15:00.83\00:15:03.19
And the fact that this
particular thing is special,
00:15:03.20\00:15:05.78
because we named it,
then I'm special to God,
00:15:05.79\00:15:10.51
He is--you know,
we're gonna have a new name
00:15:10.52\00:15:14.11
and He is--His name is
King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
00:15:14.12\00:15:17.90
You can take any little
thing of nature like that
00:15:17.91\00:15:20.49
and expand it into a
spiritual reality or truth.
00:15:20.50\00:15:23.74
And should just to talk
about it as nature, right?
00:15:23.75\00:15:27.88
Yes. It would be
interesting, but to relate it
00:15:27.89\00:15:30.12
to a biblical truth, how
far more reaching in their lives
00:15:30.13\00:15:33.67
and when they
comeback or remember it later
00:15:33.68\00:15:35.42
or maybe they have children,
they can relate to truths
00:15:35.43\00:15:38.21
and have great memories,
as how they began to learn
00:15:38.22\00:15:41.33
that truths
through God's creation.
00:15:41.34\00:15:43.01
Yes, and if we don't do that,
then it just biology lesson.
00:15:43.02\00:15:46.39
Yeah, right, that's what
I mean, it's just a lesson
00:15:46.40\00:15:48.75
which is nice, but
it's not what really was
00:15:48.76\00:15:51.16
intended in considering
the lilies, that's right.
00:15:51.17\00:15:53.70
It's not the reason,
God, put us in the garden.
00:15:53.71\00:15:56.22
The reason He put us there,
00:15:56.23\00:15:57.42
so that we could
learn about Him. Amen.
00:15:57.43\00:16:00.27
Through the
things that He created.
00:16:00.28\00:16:02.83
You know, I, we did
the Sabbath afternoon game.
00:16:02.84\00:16:06.89
And we would find
things that reminded us
00:16:06.90\00:16:09.14
of something
biblically, We would do it
00:16:09.15\00:16:11.32
kind of reverse
a color of a leaf,
00:16:11.33\00:16:14.29
we had to come up with,
00:16:14.30\00:16:15.37
or something that
reminded us of a Bible story.
00:16:15.38\00:16:18.86
And then for worship
that evening for vespers
00:16:18.87\00:16:21.50
that was what we did for
vespers each one had to name
00:16:21.51\00:16:24.29
what it reminded them off.
00:16:24.30\00:16:26.06
And we did that over,
over again, they're never
00:16:26.07\00:16:28.05
tired of that, even
after they got somewhat older.
00:16:28.06\00:16:30.83
Those kinds of
things in the head,
00:16:33.37\00:16:35.12
I think deep in
the biblical truths.
00:16:35.13\00:16:39.42
Well, and then there is
the reverse of that two,
00:16:39.43\00:16:41.27
there are biblical
truths that have to be
00:16:41.28\00:16:43.17
that where God used
either through an author
00:16:43.18\00:16:46.63
or through Jesus
himself, an illustration like
00:16:46.64\00:16:52.43
Proverbs 6:6, "Go
to the ant, O sluggard,
00:16:52.44\00:16:54.99
consider her ways, and be wise."
00:16:55.00\00:16:57.75
That is an-- that
is a scientific truth
00:16:57.76\00:17:00.76
all the ants you
see scurrying around
00:17:00.77\00:17:02.59
doing all the work are females.
00:17:02.60\00:17:05.28
There are, now there
is-- That's interesting.
00:17:05.29\00:17:07.41
That's right, all the ants
that do the work are females,
00:17:07.42\00:17:12.19
that there are the soldier ants,
00:17:12.20\00:17:13.90
there are the doctor
ants that all the ones
00:17:13.91\00:17:17.31
that do the work of the females
00:17:17.32\00:17:18.42
consider her ways and be wise.
00:17:18.43\00:17:20.77
Well, you really can't get
the full impact of that text
00:17:20.78\00:17:27.90
unless you
observe ants and see how
00:17:27.91\00:17:30.92
really incredibly
industrious they are.
00:17:30.93\00:17:33.98
Then that text just comes alive.
00:17:33.99\00:17:36.92
You know, that very
text is one that we've used,
00:17:36.93\00:17:40.18
but not for her as a part of it.
00:17:40.19\00:17:42.80
It's the later part that
says that she has no overseer,
00:17:42.81\00:17:47.19
or ruler to get her to do work.
00:17:47.20\00:17:50.36
In another words
its self government
00:17:50.37\00:17:52.69
that we were teaching from that,
00:17:52.70\00:17:54.55
that she didn't need
someone to tell her what to do.
00:17:54.56\00:17:58.32
She was able to
do it. That's right.
00:17:58.33\00:18:00.22
And so we use that
as a biblical lesson,
00:18:00.23\00:18:02.88
connected it to the
ants, on that verse.
00:18:02.89\00:18:05.52
It's perfect. Yes, it is.
00:18:05.53\00:18:07.14
What other things did you do?
00:18:07.15\00:18:09.25
Well, I remember my
father found a--we were walking
00:18:09.26\00:18:12.66
one Sabbath
afternoon on a hillside
00:18:12.67\00:18:14.35
or a mountainside in
Kentucky, when I was a lad
00:18:14.36\00:18:20.77
and my father
found of a big rock
00:18:20.78\00:18:24.32
that look like a fossil fish.
00:18:24.33\00:18:26.96
And we ended up
it, we still don't know
00:18:26.97\00:18:31.53
whether it was a
fossil fish, it was too large
00:18:31.54\00:18:33.57
and it didn't have scales
or anything that would help
00:18:33.58\00:18:38.85
it was just in
the shape of a fish.
00:18:38.86\00:18:41.68
And we spent all the
rest of the afternoon,
00:18:41.69\00:18:46.55
trying to figure out
what that was or relate to it
00:18:46.56\00:18:50.58
in someway and I remember
that experience as a boy,
00:18:50.59\00:18:56.98
it was-- it all, you know,
00:18:56.99\00:18:58.21
it was just one
Sabbath afternoon.
00:18:58.22\00:19:01.05
But I remember
it, I'll remember it
00:19:01.06\00:19:02.97
as long as I live.
It's printed there.
00:19:02.98\00:19:05.14
And it wasn't anything,
00:19:05.15\00:19:08.25
nothing particularly came of it.
00:19:08.26\00:19:11.36
But it was a time when
all of us were together
00:19:11.37\00:19:14.16
gathered around that
rock trying to figure that out
00:19:14.17\00:19:17.94
together, what is it?
00:19:17.95\00:19:19.35
Look at this, look at
that, what do you think?
00:19:19.36\00:19:23.06
You're suppose its this,
or you're suppose is that.
00:19:23.07\00:19:25.70
Those are what we in education
00:19:25.71\00:19:28.10
call higher order
thinking skills. Really.
00:19:28.11\00:19:31.57
Where you construct meaning
from the experience itself.
00:19:31.58\00:19:36.92
Now my father and mother
were not trained educators.
00:19:36.93\00:19:42.35
But they were
incredibly powerful educating
00:19:42.36\00:19:46.28
individuals for us as children,
00:19:46.29\00:19:48.81
because they just ask questions,
00:19:48.82\00:19:51.38
they just develop
ideas, anybody can do that.
00:19:51.39\00:19:56.69
You don't have to know
answers, and lots of times
00:19:56.70\00:19:59.75
we get hung up on
what the right answers are
00:19:59.76\00:20:03.39
when you know, the
Bible is full of answers
00:20:03.40\00:20:07.23
to which there are no questions.
00:20:07.24\00:20:09.19
I mean, that questions to
which there are no answers--
00:20:09.20\00:20:12.35
Yeah, okay, well, you have
these eye wonder statements,
00:20:12.36\00:20:16.53
so that come out of
what you're just telling me.
00:20:16.54\00:20:18.46
Would you like to
expand a little more
00:20:18.47\00:20:19.92
on the eye wonder statements?
Well, that's a technique.
00:20:19.93\00:20:23.23
If parents feel
uncomfortable about you know,
00:20:23.24\00:20:25.78
I just don't know,
how I would do that.
00:20:25.79\00:20:28.30
Well, there is the phrase
I wonder, just start a phrase
00:20:28.31\00:20:34.37
I'll be afraid to do that.
00:20:34.38\00:20:36.09
Start the phrase with I wonder
what would have happened if.
00:20:36.10\00:20:42.26
Or I wonder how that got
here, or I wonder what it is.
00:20:42.27\00:20:48.28
I wonder what's
gonna happen next.
00:20:48.29\00:20:51.64
I wonder what was
here before this was here.
00:20:51.65\00:20:58.02
Just that a wonder statement
causes the child and kids
00:20:58.03\00:21:02.68
love that, they
don't, there are not bound
00:21:02.69\00:21:05.35
by our adult feelings of
need to know the answers.
00:21:05.36\00:21:10.31
They are able to soar.
00:21:10.32\00:21:12.12
In fact kids, little kids
especially are full of wonder
00:21:12.13\00:21:18.62
and we unfortunately.
Want to shut them up.
00:21:18.63\00:21:21.63
Yes, and we, we keep, we
call it channeling their,
00:21:21.64\00:21:26.10
their
creativity into productive,
00:21:26.11\00:21:29.81
in productive
ways, but isn't always.
00:21:29.82\00:21:31.62
Sometimes it's just shutting
it down, let them wonder.
00:21:31.63\00:21:36.01
But always bring
them back to God.
00:21:36.02\00:21:39.70
I wonder what God was thinking
00:21:39.71\00:21:42.61
when He created
this maybe a daisy.
00:21:42.62\00:21:46.22
Why did He put white petals
00:21:46.23\00:21:47.80
around a yellow
circle in the middle?
00:21:47.81\00:21:50.82
And then why did he
create to be, and if you happen
00:21:50.83\00:21:54.71
to know the answer to
this, it's kind of neat to know
00:21:54.72\00:21:58.54
that the bee sees
different colors than we do.
00:21:58.55\00:22:01.57
And the color in
the center of the daisy
00:22:01.58\00:22:04.15
is the focal point for the bee,
00:22:04.16\00:22:06.66
so that the bee go
straight to the center
00:22:06.67\00:22:09.09
in the ray of
petals is simply a--
00:22:09.10\00:22:14.89
an outside frame
for the focal point
00:22:14.90\00:22:18.57
where the polyp, or the
nectar of the flower would be.
00:22:18.58\00:22:22.33
So God put all of
those things into a package
00:22:22.34\00:22:25.06
that's integrated
with all kinds of life.
00:22:25.07\00:22:30.26
You can do so much with that.
00:22:30.27\00:22:33.58
You have some other
techniques or something else
00:22:33.59\00:22:37.40
that you can
offer us in statements,
00:22:37.41\00:22:38.81
how about meeting the creator,
00:22:38.82\00:22:42.18
the I wonder statements observe
00:22:42.19\00:22:43.76
how nature
operates and talk about.
00:22:43.77\00:22:46.14
Let's talk about how
to observe more about
00:22:46.15\00:22:50.26
how nature
operates, can you do that?
00:22:50.27\00:22:52.66
Well, a good friend of
mine, Elder Larry Cavanas,
00:22:52.67\00:22:58.23
at a summer camp
once, did something which
00:22:58.24\00:23:01.88
I have always felt
was just phenomenal
00:23:01.89\00:23:05.27
and its something
that any family could do.
00:23:05.28\00:23:07.52
But I remember
this. The sticky bun.
00:23:07.53\00:23:10.50
Yes, the sticky bun,
you know the crumbs, yeah.
00:23:10.51\00:23:12.14
He had they have
sticky buns for, for breakfast
00:23:12.15\00:23:15.52
and he hadn't
finished his and he was walking
00:23:15.53\00:23:19.42
across the camp ground with
a whole bunch of kids with him
00:23:19.43\00:23:22.51
and he said, he wanted
to get rid of the sticky bun
00:23:22.52\00:23:26.34
but he didn't want to litter.
00:23:26.35\00:23:28.64
And so he needed to
find a way of getting--
00:23:28.65\00:23:33.08
and the trashcan
with some distance away
00:23:33.09\00:23:35.34
and he could have gone
there with it and he would have,
00:23:35.35\00:23:37.49
except he thought of an idea.
00:23:37.50\00:23:39.53
And it was wonderful,
he said, boys and girls,
00:23:39.54\00:23:43.87
let's see I wonder how
long this sticky bun will last.
00:23:43.88\00:23:49.13
See these ants,
they are all over here,
00:23:49.14\00:23:50.95
they are looking for food.
00:23:50.96\00:23:52.77
And this sticky bun
would just be wonderful,
00:23:52.78\00:23:54.81
they would love
this, don't you think?
00:23:54.82\00:23:57.62
And oh, yeah, they would.
00:23:57.63\00:23:58.83
So I'm gonna put it right
down here beside the trail.
00:23:58.84\00:24:02.05
And I want you
guys to keep watching
00:24:02.06\00:24:04.62
that sticky bun all day long.
00:24:04.63\00:24:06.57
Oh, he just wanted them to
keep busy, I'm sure he would.
00:24:06.58\00:24:08.87
Well, that may have been
true, but it really worked.
00:24:08.88\00:24:11.28
It was highly
motivated and he said, you watch
00:24:11.29\00:24:14.32
that sticky bun and let's see
how long it takes for the ants
00:24:14.33\00:24:18.62
to get rid of the sticky
bun in the natural kind of way
00:24:18.63\00:24:22.95
that animals and creatures
00:24:22.96\00:24:25.16
clean up their,
their environment.
00:24:25.17\00:24:27.57
And these kids kept all
day long kept running back
00:24:27.58\00:24:30.62
to check the sticky
bun, until it was all gone
00:24:30.63\00:24:34.12
and then they
check the time told,
00:24:34.13\00:24:36.26
Elder Cavanas, the
answer to his question.
00:24:36.27\00:24:39.91
Now he set up an activity
with just an I wonder statement,
00:24:39.92\00:24:43.89
just a sticky bun and
I wonder and some ants.
00:24:43.90\00:24:46.33
He didn't know what
kind of ants, he didn't know
00:24:46.34\00:24:48.48
anything about particularly
about the biology of ants,
00:24:48.49\00:24:52.91
but he set it all up
and he orchestrated it
00:24:52.92\00:24:55.62
in a learning
motivation experience
00:24:55.63\00:24:58.15
that I suspect some of
those kids still remember.
00:24:58.16\00:25:00.99
Yeah, I'm sure they do.
00:25:01.00\00:25:03.07
Well, we're going
to go to the end now.
00:25:03.08\00:25:05.30
Is there some recapping
that you can do for us, go over.
00:25:05.31\00:25:08.85
These things, or
something special
00:25:08.86\00:25:10.35
that we haven't
talked about yet.
00:25:10.36\00:25:11.50
Let's go back to the point
that God, put us in a garden.
00:25:11.51\00:25:14.69
God, put us in a
natural environment,
00:25:14.70\00:25:17.08
He created our
brains, He created everything
00:25:17.09\00:25:20.19
compatible for that environment.
00:25:20.20\00:25:22.10
When we get away
from that environment
00:25:22.11\00:25:24.23
everything is kind of
jangling and artificial.
00:25:24.24\00:25:27.70
And we find it's useful to
get back to that environment
00:25:27.71\00:25:32.04
for refreshment,
but it's useful to get
00:25:32.05\00:25:38.24
the kids into that
environment as young, as early,
00:25:38.25\00:25:41.48
as possible,
because the older they get,
00:25:41.49\00:25:43.74
the more they
become addicted to a--
00:25:43.75\00:25:46.73
to an artificial
excitement that is created
00:25:46.74\00:25:49.08
by the non-natural environment,
00:25:49.09\00:25:51.53
then it's more difficult
to get them back into it
00:25:51.54\00:25:54.41
and get back into
the natural environment.
00:25:54.42\00:25:57.09
For older kids it's
necessary to stay in,
00:25:57.10\00:26:01.39
some, in fact,
one person has said
00:26:01.40\00:26:03.17
you have to be three
days on a camping trip,
00:26:03.18\00:26:05.53
or three days in the wilderness
00:26:05.54\00:26:07.49
before you finally
get relax to the point
00:26:07.50\00:26:09.97
where you can appreciate
what God has to say there.
00:26:09.98\00:26:12.50
Because we're having to
spend all this time unlearning,
00:26:12.51\00:26:15.92
what we have
artificially being experiencing.
00:26:15.93\00:26:18.83
That was true for Moses,
00:26:18.84\00:26:20.20
it took him 40 years to
unlearn what he had to learn.
00:26:20.21\00:26:22.82
It took Paul, three
years to go to the desert
00:26:22.83\00:26:25.76
to unlearn all other things that
00:26:25.77\00:26:27.48
the artificial environment
had provided for him.
00:26:27.49\00:26:30.37
The family is incredibly
important that we unlearn
00:26:30.38\00:26:35.82
the exciting things
there are so addicting
00:26:35.83\00:26:39.46
in the best environment
to do that in, is outdoors
00:26:39.47\00:26:44.63
in the garden, in the
fields walking together
00:26:44.64\00:26:47.70
just letting the
natural environment come
00:26:47.71\00:26:51.02
and inspire us with what God
has to say to us at that time.
00:26:51.03\00:26:56.60
That's sounds beautiful,
I'd like to do it right now.
00:26:56.61\00:27:00.18
But our time is
coming to an end.
00:27:00.19\00:27:04.30
We're going to
have to, go to some more
00:27:04.31\00:27:06.78
conversation on this next
time when you join us again.
00:27:06.79\00:27:09.52
Love too. And I want to
invite you too join us again.
00:27:09.53\00:27:13.28
But before you
leave, I want to leave
00:27:13.29\00:27:15.01
this thought with you.
00:27:15.02\00:27:16.73
"Teach the children
to see Christ in nature.
00:27:16.74\00:27:19.95
Take them out into the
open air, under the noble trees,
00:27:19.96\00:27:23.58
into the garden, and into
00:27:23.59\00:27:25.71
all the
wonderful works of creation
00:27:25.72\00:27:27.95
teach them to see an
expression of God's love."
00:27:27.96\00:27:32.10
If you want to get
more how to information,
00:27:32.11\00:27:34.19
I'm sure that you
can write, or call 3ABN
00:27:34.20\00:27:36.84
and they'll tell
you how to do that.
00:27:36.85\00:27:39.19
Until then, I want to
ask you to join us again
00:27:39.20\00:27:42.62
here on "Thinking about Home."
00:27:42.63\00:27:44.52
And Dr. Tucker, will
be back with us again,
00:27:44.53\00:27:48.30
for a few more programs and
I'm sure that you'll enjoy it.
00:27:48.31\00:27:51.66
I hope that you put these things
00:27:51.67\00:27:52.95
about nature into your life.
00:27:52.96\00:27:54.96
Remember
comeback and join us again
00:27:54.97\00:27:57.53
here on "Thinking about Home."
00:27:57.54\00:27:58.95