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document.write('<h2>Gotta Get Outta Here!</h2><p><strong><em>by <a target="_blank" href="http://www.parishwebmaster.com/services/author');
document.write('s/bio_rhetherton.htm"><font color="#000000">Rod Hetherton</font></a></em></strong></p><p>Sometimes being a teenager is ');
document.write('kind of like living out the story of the "Prodigal Son."  Being a teenager is a period of learning and growing while str');
document.write('iving for independence.  As summer approaches that independence may mean movies, jobs, dates, and parties.  As you striv');
document.write('e to "get out of the house", try not to forget what is left behind.</p><h3>The Parent-Child Cycle</h3><font face="Aria');
document.write('l, Verdana" size="2"><p>The way kids feel about their parents through various time just seems to be one of those predic');
document.write('table cycles in life.  </p><ul>  <li>As kids we want to play with mommy and daddy all day long.</li>  <li>As pre-teen');
document.write('s we tend to get embarrassed by mom and dad all day long.</li>  <li>As teenagers we tend to want to get out of the hous');
document.write('e and away from mother and father.</li>  <li>And as adults we return home to find some sense of mutual respect and unde');
document.write('rstanding.</li></ul><h3>The Prodigal Child Syndrome</h3><p>When Jesus told about the prodigal son returning home, the');
document.write(' father was overwhelmed with happiness, while the older "good" brother was overwhelmed with jealousy.  There are a lot o');
document.write('f different lessons in this story, but the one that stands out the most for me is that Jesus is telling us that we can a');
document.write('lways come home.</p><p>As teens, it is quite easy to forget that home is often a great place to be.  Wanting to gain an');
document.write('d experience independence is natural -- it is part of the process of learning about ourselves and who we want to be -- b');
document.write('ut try to remember as you struggle to "get out" that there are people at home who want to help, people at home who care.');
document.write('  </p><h3>Home Is Where the Heart Is</h3><p>Unfortunately for some, the place where they live doesn\'t feel like "home"');
document.write('.  Perhaps there is abuse, neglect, or a number of other problems.  Yet those people are not without a home if they\'ll o');
document.write('nly look to Jesus.</p><p>Jesus\' metaphor of coming home also refers to the Church on earth and in heaven, and the fathe');
document.write('r is our Heavenly Father.  And for those who are in difficult family situations, the Church and the people there can cre');
document.write('ate a wonderful feeling of home.  </p><h3>You Can\'t Wander Too Far</h3><p>Jesus wants us to understand that no matter ');
document.write('how far we have wandered away from God, we are always welcome back. As teens it is easy to feel lost and alone or to thi');
document.write('nk that you have strayed too far off the path to be welcomed back.  Jesus is telling, or rather, he is inviting you back');
document.write('.  </p><p>And this is not your normal invitation.  It is a celebration!  Just as the brother who had been lost to his f');
document.write('ather received a grand celebration upon his return, so to will Jesus rejoice when you come home. </p><p>As the summer m');
document.write('onths are finally heating up, take a look back once and a while to see what you are so eagerly running out the door from');
document.write('.  Home can be many things, so don\'t be surprised if there is someone watching over you and praying for your well-being.');
document.write('  </p><p>And if the road gets too rough out there one of these nights, don\'t forget that you can always come home.</p>');
document.write('<hr><h3>Life Applications:</h3><p>Do you tend to try to "get out of the house"?  Why?<br>Have you had any conversations');
document.write(' with your parents about growing up and having independence?<br>Who would you be in the story of the Prodigal Son?  Why?');
document.write('</p><hr><p>Copyright 2003-2009 <strong><em>by <a target="_blank" href="http://www.parishwebmaster.com/services/authors/');
document.write('bio_rhetherton.htm"><font color="#000000">Rod Hetherton</font></a></em></strong><A HREF="http://www.ParishWebmaster.com/');
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