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This morning, in our study, we're looking at Matthew chapter 19 again. And we come in our ongoing study of this great gospel to verses 16 through 22, Matthew 19, verses 16 through 22.
As a preface to looking at the text, I have been reminded of some time ago when I was riding on an airplane and there was a man sitting next to me. And as we were just flying along, he looked over at me and introduced himself and then said to me, he said, "Sir, you wouldn't know how I could have a relationship with Jesus Christ, would you?"
Now that doesn't happen very often to me, but it does. And I happened to have a Bible open and so that prompted him to ask the question. And I thought he was so ready and so eager and this is some time ago. And I said, "Well yes, you simply believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and accept Him as your Savior," and so forth. And he said, "I'd like to do that." And so we prayed and I was so very excited about what happened and tried to follow it up unsuccessfully to find out only that he has had no continuing interest in the things of Christ at all, as far as I can tell.
That's very hard sometimes for us to deal with but very frequently occurs. Anyone who's in any kind of ministry at all and even people who are lay people like yourselves, perhaps, out sharing Jesus Christ, have those occasions where someone prays a prayer with you or someone is led to Christ by you and you see no change in their life, nothing really happens differently and they never ever connect up with the church in any ongoing sense at all. And if you've been struggling with why that happens, then I think you're going to find the answer to that in the message this morning.
I don't think I really understood fully why that happened until I understood this particular story that's here in Matthew 19. The passage before us gives us an insight that I think is extremely valuable. We might even say that Matthew 19:16 to 22 is an illustration of another truth. And that truth is very clearly articulated in Luke 14:33. And maybe in the margin of Matthew 19:16 to 22, you ought to write Luke 14:33 because I believe this explains the meaning of that verse.
Luke 14:33 says this, "So likewise, whosoever he is of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, cannot be My disciple." Now that is a very straightforward truth. Unless you forsake all that you have, you cannot be the Lord's disciple. Salvation is not for people pray a prayer necessarily or people who think they need Jesus Christ, it is for people who forsake all. There is an abandonment of everything in genuine salvation. And that, I think, is the essence of what our Lord is teaching us with the encounter with the young man in Matthew 19.
Let's begin at verse 16, you follow and I'll read you the text.
And behold, one came and said unto Him, Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life? And He said unto him, Why are you asking Me what is good? There is none good but one, that is God, and if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto Him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not bear false witness, honor thy father and thy mother and thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. The young man saith unto Him, All these things have I kept, what lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell what thou hast and give to the poor and thou shalt have treasure in heaven and come and follow Me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful for he had great possessions.
You see, there was a test. On the one hand, he had his possessions. On the other hand, there was Jesus Christ. He had to make a choice. Because he was unwilling to forsake all, he never could be a disciple of Christ. That's the essence of what the text is saying. Salvation is for those who forsake everything. Now I think it's very important to affirm that.
Now you'll notice in verse 16 that the young man poses a question related to eternal life. He asks about how to obtain eternal life. The term "eternal life" is used about 50 times in Scripture and is essentially the heart of all evangelism. In other words, in all that we endeavor to do, we try to get people to want eternal life, to seek eternal life, to receive eternal life. In fact, in the most familiar gospel verse of all, John 3:16, we remember that the text says, "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting, or eternal life." And we struggle and we work and we pray and we study and we strategize and we plan and we develop methods to try to get people to want and to receive eternal life.
But here comes a young man who walks right up and asks Jesus the very question. Most of our work in evangelism is to get somebody to this point. From here on out, it's easy. I mean, if you can just get the guy to say "what do I need to do to inherit eternal life" you've got him where you want him, all you have to do is say: believe, sign the card, raise your hand, walk the aisle, do whatever. I mean, you've got him right where you want him to be.
So, when the young man walked up and asked the question, he jumped over the whole process of normal preevangelism effort. Like the young man on the airplane, who jumped by all the things that you usually have to work on, like how do you know there's a God, how can you believe the Bible and on and on and on. He walked up and asked Jesus the question about eternal life.
Now, that's not an unfamiliar question to the Lord. It appears on several occasions in the New Testament. Not only asked by this young man, but also asked by a lawyer and also in John 6, asked by a group of people, essentially the same question. How do you get eternal life? And all of our evangelistic efforts are basically to bring someone to that point, aren't they? Where they seek eternal life. And it can be given to them in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I guess I have to say this has got to be the hottest evangelistic prospect in the gospel so far. I mean, this guy is really ripe. He is ready. But the amazing thing is he goes away without ever receiving eternal life. And the reason he goes away is because he is not willing to forsake everything. Jesus actually set up an insurmountable barrier for the man. Instead of taking him where he was and just getting him to make the quote/unquote "decision," Jesus stops him dead in his tracks and makes it impossible for him to get saved on those terms which he had already had come to.
Now you say, "What kind of evangelism is this? Jesus would have flunked the evangelism seminar. He doesn't know how to get closure. He doesn't know how to draw the net. He doesn't know how to sign the guy up. I mean, you get a guy coming along saying I want eternal life, you've got a hot one. You don't want to lose it."
But, oh do we need the truth that's in this text. We have so many contemporary unbiblical modes of evangelism. Our mass evangelism with its decisions, statistics and its aisle walking and its hurry-up-and-come-to-Jesus and just believe and there's nothing else kind of approach is leading all kinds of people into the delusion that they're saved when in fact they're not. And so, we must go to this passage for its very important instruction.
Now, let's ask a question similar to the young man's question and then we'll flow through the text. And I think it will unfold very easy in your eyes and you'll see what happened that went wrong with this young man. How does one obtain eternal life? That's the question. How do you obtain eternal life?
Well, let's look at the points. First of all, it's necessary to know what you want. The man came to Jesus and he said I want to obtain, I want to do something to get eternal life. Now he knew what he wanted. And that's where it has to start. You cannot come seeking something if you don't know you want it. You've got to know what it is you seek before you can seek it. And he wanted eternal life. He knew he didn't have it. He had a lot of things but he didn't have that.
Matthew tells us that he was young, verse 20. Matthew tells us in verse 22 that he was rich. He had great possessions. Luke tells us in Luke 18:18 that he was arche, he was a ruler. And most likely he was a ruler of the synagogue, comparing it with Matthew 9:18. He was probably a ruler of the synagogue. He was a Jewish religious leader, devout, honest, in terms of his relationship to Judaism, young, wealthy, prominent, influential. Very rare that a young man would be a ruler of a synagogue. Well we don't know for sure that he was a ruler of a synagogue but that seems to be the best indication. But he was highly respected, very devout, very religious. As far as the culture of his day, the religious environment of his day, he had everything. And I think that's why in verse 16, Matthew says, "And behold," and that's an exclamation "and lo," and we would say in our vernacular, "Can you believe this, that this guy came to Jesus wanting eternal life who is a devout Jew who was a religious man, who is a ruler of a synagogue, who is influential, prominent," and so forth, it was amazing that he would come and admit that he didn't have eternal life.
He had not found the reality to put his soul at rest. He had not found a confident permanent peace, joy and settled hope. And he was feeling in his heart the absence of this. He was basically coming on the grounds of a felt need. There was a restlessness in his heart. There was an anxiety in his heart. There was a sense of being unfulfilled. And he knew what was missing...eternal life.
Now how did he know that? Well, the Jews understood eternal life. They understood that term or that concept. Simply stated, if life means--and it does mean--the ability to respond to your environment, that's what life means, if you don't think it means that, look at a dead person and see how well they respond, life basically means the ability to respond to your environment. Eternal life means the ability to permanently respond to your environment. And eternal life carries with it the divine environment. In physical life, we can respond to a physical environment. In eternal life, we have the ability to respond to the divine environment. In other words, we respond to the life of God. That's why when we're saved, Paul says we enter into the heavenlies. Our citizenship takes on a divine character and we all of a sudden come alive to God and that's unending.
But it is a quality of existence, not a quantity of existence. It is the idea that I am sensitive to God, that I can respond to God. Before I was saved I was dead in sin, utterly unresponsive to the divine environment. When I became a Christian, I became capable of responding to the divine environment and I shall always be capable of responding to the divine environment.
The Jews thought of it as the life of the age to come, the life which is characteristic of people who live in the age to come. And this young man knew that he did not have the ability to fully respond to the divine environment. He knew that he did not have the ability to fully respond to God. He wasn't sensing God's love, God's rest, God's peace, God's hope, God's joy, the security of belonging to God. He knew that he did not possess the divine life. He knew that he didn't have in his soul the life of God.
By the way, John uses the word zoe34 times and every time he uses it in his writing, it always means the life principle itself which makes us spiritually alive. And so, eternal life is not just long-time living, eternal life is a quality of existence which allows us to be alive to the world that God dwells in. It allows us to possess the very life of God. It is that life which is the result of the new birth. Nicodemus was born into a new life, a new dimension of living in which he was alive to God and that life is unaffected by death which only transfers us fully into the heavenly world.
Now the rich young ruler knew that he didn't have the life of God in his soul. He knew that he really didn't sense God fully. He knew that he didn't walk with God, commune with God. So he was very perceptive. He'd gone beyond the Pharisees in his own system who were content with their own musings and praying to themselves. He was not. He knew it was a quality of life which he missed. And I hope we can get it through our heads that eternal life is not just a long time of living, eternal life is a quality of being alive to God, a quality of possessing the life of God, of being aware of the environment of the divine.
It's reminiscent of the old Greek mythology story of Aurora who was the goddess of the dawn. And Aurora fell in love with Tithonis(?) and Tithonis was a mortal youth. And when an eternal goddess falls in love with a mortal youth, it's got its limitations. And so she didn't want to ever lose him and she knew he would die so she went to the head of the gods in the mythology who was Zeus. And she said I want one wish for you. And he said I would grant you one wish in behalf of your lover Tithonis. And she said I wish that he would live...I wish that he would never die, that he would live forever. And he said the wish was granted. And he did. But she left out one important element...she forgot to ask that he would stay young. And so in the Greek mythology, he lived for ever but he just kept getting older and older and older until life was a horrible punishment.
That's not eternal life in the biblical sense. Eternal life in the biblical sense is the process of ever getting younger and younger and communing with the living God in an unending communion. And that this young man wanted.
So, he knew what he wanted. And I think that when we preach or evangelize, we're trying to get people to understand...to understand what they should want. We're trying to get them to see that they don't have eternal life and they should have eternal life. That's part of it. And so he was on track.
The second element that comes through here is that not only did he know what he wanted but he felt deeply the need. Now there are people who know they don't have eternal life but they also don't feel any need for it. Have you ever met them? I've met some like that. They know they don't have eternal life but they don't feel any need for it. They know they're not alive to God but they really don't care to be alive to God. They know they don't sense the divine dimension, they don't have the full confidence of security in the life to come, the great settled hope that comes to believers, they know they don't have it. But they really aren't that interested in it. And sometimes we say they're not desperate enough to really want what they don't have. This guy was. He not only knew what he wanted but he felt deeply the want of it.
And I think there's an urgency in his question, "Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I might have eternal life?" He doesn't have any prefaces, he doesn't warm up, he just blurts it out. I mean, it's right on the front of his tongue. And if you look over into verse 20, at the end of the verse, he's gone through all the things he's done religiously and he says, "What lack I yet?" And I sense there a certain amount of frustration, a certain amount of unfulfillment, a certain amount of anxiety saying, "Man, I've been at this religious thing with all my might and something is missing in my life." And it's the cry of a heart that feels a need. I want this thing.
So, boy, he's a really great prospect. He knows what he doesn't have, eternal life, and he wants it very badly because he has an empty place in his life, he has some lack in his life and he wants to fulfill that. Oh, he's lived an exemplary life outwardly. He has avoided outward sins. He tells all those laws that he supposedly thinks he's kept. He's moral. He's religious. He's strong in heart to conform to the standards of his..of his religion. He is a leader in terms of the eyes of the people. And yet he's unsatisfied and he knows that it's eternal life that he lacks and he wants to know how to get it. And there is a real felt need deep in his heart. There is a vacuum there. Now you're beginning to see what a tremendous prospect he is, aren't you?
That takes us to the third element. In obtaining eternal life it is also necessary to seek diligently...to seek diligently. And so you have a person who knows what they don't have, wants it and is willing to seek Jesus, you know, waited for the man to come to Him. And we see that very often in our Lord's life. Of course, the prophet of the Old Testament, Isaiah, said if you seek Me with all your heart, you'll find Me. And so here's a diligent seeker.
You say, "How do you know that?" Well, in verse 16 it says "one came." And that's all that Matthew tells us but in the parallel passage in Mark 10:17, Mark says he came running...he came running. Now there's urgency in that. I mean, he's dealing with a real frustration in his heart. This is a religious guy with some integrity. He really does want to know God. I believe he really did want the peace and the joy and all of that. If you would have approached him on: how would you like to have peace, joy, happiness, love? Boy, you would have had...you would have had a guy on a hood right now because he felt deep psychological need. There were missing elements inside of him.
But would you note somewhere in your mind that this is a very self-centered...young man at this point? He is coming for something that will satisfy his heart and the need of his heart. That's not wrong, it's just incomplete. But that was his approach. There was an urgency. There was an eagerness. I mean, he rushed down the aisle before there was an aisle, you know. He ran to Jesus before "Just as I am" had ever been written. He beat the invitationalists. I mean, he is in a hurry. He's enthusiastically in pursuit of eternal life, salvation.
In fact, Mark 10:17 says the Lord was walking down the road in Perea, no doubt there was a crowd around Him, as always gathered around our Lord in addition to the disciples. And this guy runs right into the crowd. He's not embarrassed by the fact that he's ever...he's known by the people in that area. Everyone perhaps knew who he was. If indeed he was a ruler of the synagogue, they surely did. He is not embarrassed by the fact that he confesses publicly and openly that he does not possess eternal life, which would have been some kind of a confession to make when you're a person of his stature. And beyond that, Mark says, he not only came running to Jesus but he got on his knees. And now he's in a position of humility before the Lord. He's prostrate in some sense before the Lord. He acknowledges the humble situation that he's in where he lacks something. Now that takes some kind of integrity to do that. That's stepping down off your high horse. And so there's something kind of special about this guy. He's serious, motivated, anxious. He wants eternal life so badly, so eagerly, he seeks it so diligently that he doesn't mind losing face with all the people who thinks he's a spiritual giant already.
You say, "What an opportunity. Boy, if you could just...I mean, this guy's ready and this guy...you get this guy saved, he'll be terrific. He's rich. Boy, we need rich Christians. Not only is he rich, he's influential. Boy, what could he do as an influential guy? He's a prime prospect for a testimony on Christian TV, or write a book or...I mean, this guy's a hot one. And you sure don't want to muff this opportunity. A can't-miss convert."
That takes us to the fourth element of obtaining eternal life and that is he came to the right source. You know, there are lots of folks looking for eternal life and looking real hard but they're looking in the wrong place. Have you noticed? And why do you think Satan counterfeits religions all over the face of the earth? So that people go chasing the wrong thing. It isn't there. They won't find eternal life there but some people may be rather diligently looking for it there. But he came to the right source.
You know, in 1 John it tells us that, if not in many other places, chapter 5 verse 11 says, "And this is the record that God hath given to us eternal life and this life is in His Son." And verse 20 says of Him, "In His Son Jesus Christ, this is the true God and eternal life." So Jesus not only was the source of eternal life, He was that eternal life. And so this guy came to the right source.
No doubt he had heard of the power of Jesus, no doubt he had heard of the teaching of Jesus because he comes to Him and says, Didaskolos, or master, or teacher. He acknowledges that He was a teacher of divine truth. Mark and Luke tell us he called Him "good." It's added here in the Authorized of Matthew, but it isn't in the manuscripts of Matthew, but it is in Mark and Luke. And so he said, "good," agathos. Kalosmeans good form, good on the outside; agathosmeans good on the inside, good inwardly, good morally, good in nature, good in essence. So he says I know that You are good. I know that You are a good person. I know that You're moral. I know that You're upright and I also know You teach and You teach divine truth. You perhaps know the secret of getting eternal life.
I don't think he thought he was God. I don't even think he particularly thought of Him as the Messiah. I just think he was such...he was so struck with the power of Jesus' teaching and the power of His life however he had been exposed to it that he said surely this teacher has got the secret to eternal life. He must have it. And maybe He can tell me how to get it. So, I think he's approaching it that way, more than affirming the deity of Christ or the Messiahship of Christ. He just calls Him a basically internally morally good teacher whose life demonstrates that He probably walked with God and knew the secrets of eternal life. And so he came to the right source.
And even though he didn't know who He was in the fullest sense, he certainly did come to the right place. For Acts 4:12 says, "There's salvation in no other name than the name of Jesus Christ." So, he came to the right place for eternal life.
Fifthly, in moving through our outline, and we're still in verse 16, he asks the right question. He really did. Now a lot of people have sort of knocked the guy for the question he asked. They say he's saying, "What good thing shall I do?" And that he's asking some works oriented question. Well, certainly he was works oriented. Certainly he was raised in a Pharisaic system of tradition. Certainly he was trained to think that you did things religiously to gain divine goals and divine ends. But I still think with all of that obviously in the background, the question's a fairly fair question. I mean, I don't think we ought to knock him for the question. What good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life? That's a fairly simple question. And there's nothing in the text that says he specially said, "What good thing shall I do," we don't know that he verbally emphasized that.
And it's a fair question. I mean, you do have to do something to get eternal life, you have to believe, right? Your will has to be involved. There has to be a response. The question is basically a fair question. It's an okay question. He didn't say, "How can I be more religious...how can I be more moral...how can I get more self-respect...," or whatever. He didn't say that. He said, "I want eternal life, what do I do to get it?" And I don't think it's a calculated question of someone trying to trap Jesus or trying to offer his self-righteousness as a vehicle by which he will gain the answer. I think he just asked an honest question. What do I do to have eternal life?
It's not much different than the question in John 6:28 where the people said to Jesus, what do we do to work the works of God? Now that is a works question. But to that, Jesus said, this is the work if God that you believe. So, the question itself isn't that offensive to me. I think he's simply saying what do I need to do to have eternal life. Sure he thought it was something he'd have to do and there's a sense in which he was right. Because we must act as an act of faith...activate our will as an act of faith toward Christ. What does he do? It's the right question. He's asking how, you see. Now I know I need eternal life, I feel deeply the desire for it, I'm here diligently seeking it now how do I get it? Boy, this is too good to believe. I mean, if you lose this guy, you've really muffed it.
What good thing? And he even knew that he had to do something good, something really good, something genuinely good. And Jesus' answer is amazing. I mean, if Jesus was a contemporary evangelist, or contemporary evangelical, He might say, "Hey, just believe. I mean, Jesus died for you and rose again, if you just believe that, just pray and ask Jesus into your heart and confess Him as your Savior, your...you'll be saved." And Jesus didn't do that at all. Jesus put up a wall in front of this guy. I mean, Jesus drew him to a sudden stop.
Verse 17, "He said to him, Why are you asking Me what is good?" You want to know what good thing you have to do, why are you asking Me? Why are you asking Me what good thing you have to do? You think I've got some secret you don't know? You think I've got some insight that you've never heard of? You think God's given Me something that no one else knows about? You think I'm the only person in the world who knows what you have to do? What good thing...what are you asking Me about that for? There's none good but one, that's God and you know what He said so go on out and keep His commandments. That's what He's saying. I mean, if you want life, then keep the commandments. You know what they are, you don't need to ask Me. There's no new information. There's no secret. Why are you asking Me what is good?
Now, as a well-taught Jew, he was saying--in effect--You know exactly what's good. You know what good things are written in the law of God, now go do them. That's what He says. "If you will enter in to life, keep the commandments." God alone is the one that's good and God good...in His goodness has revealed all of His will, you know the Word of God, you know the revelation of God, you know the law of God, it's all there, I haven't added anything to it, I have nothing to add to it, just go out and keep it all.
You say, "Why in the world does He say that to the guy?" Because, you see, there's a missing factor here. This guy is coming to Jesus and his seeking of salvation is based on his felt need, right? He's seeking a salvation because he has anxiety and he has frustration and he wants joy and love and peace and hope. And that is not a good enough reason to come to Christ. That is incomplete. It isn't wrong, it's incomplete. I mean, if we go around the world offering people happiness and joy and peace and so forth and so forth, it's very easy to get them to respond to that. All you have to do is find all the folks who are psychologically incomplete. And if you can offer them all the panaceas to their anxieties through Jesus, they'll take Jesus to get those things. But that is not a complete understanding of salvation.
So, Jesus slams a wall in front of the guy and says, "Look, the one thing you haven't done you know and it's all...it's good God who's revealed His good Word so you just go out and do it all. You keep the commandments." You say, "But nobody can do that." That's exactly right. That's exactly right. You say, "Well, why did He tell him to do that?" So that he'd realize he couldn't do it. You see, because the problem with this man is that by the time we get to the end of verse 16, there's something that hasn't been mentioned. What is it? His sin. There's been no mention of that. And the young man has no sense that he's offended a holy God. His...his desire for eternal life is purely wrapped up in his own anxieties and his own personal needs and has no thought for the affront that his life is to an infinitely holy God. And that is a necessary element in understanding the truth of salvation.
So, Jesus just says you know what you have to do to do the good thing, keep the law of God. You don't need Me to add anything. God is good and He's revealed His good will and His good will is His law so go out and keep it. Keep the commandments.
You mean you could get saved that way if you could keep them? But you can't. We've learned that over and over again. You can't. So the guy now has to be confronted with the fact that he has violated God. You see, people, you cannot bring people to Jesus Christ simply and only on the basis of psychological needs or anxieties or lack of peace, or lack of hope, or lack of joy, or lack of happiness. They must understand that salvation is for people who want to turn away from the things of this life and turn to God who see that they have lived in violation and rebellion against holy God. And they want to turn around, confess that and affirm their commitment to live for His glory. You see, God has to be involved. Salvation is not a psychological thing. God has to be involved. A man know...must know that unless he is willing to forsake all of the things in this life and come to God, he can't be His disciple. All he felt was a personal need. All he felt was personal anxiety. All he felt was the lack of stuff in his life. And that is not substantial enough.
So, our Lord takes the focus off of his felt need and puts it on God. And tries to show this young man that the real problem in his life is not what he doesn't have in his heart but it's what he's doing to offend a holy God. And when He says to him, "You keep the commandments," He is beginning to take this young guy and slam him up against the divine standard so that he'll see that he comes short. That's the issue.
As I look back to talking to that young man on the airplane, that's something I didn't do. I took him at such face value as he was feeling his own psychological needs and gave him Christ for his psychological needs without understanding that he was receiving Christ for his sin. So what you need to do when you evangelize someone is to make sure they understand the full nature of their sinfulness as it violates the holy law of holy God. So that salvation is a Godward thing, not just a manward thing.
All evangelism must take the imperfect sinner and place him up against the perfect law of God so he can see his deficiency. That's an utterly essential element. And evangelism that deals only with men's needs, only with men's feelings, only with men's problems lacks the true balance. And that is why the churches are jammed full of people who aren't really saved because they gain...they sought and gained some kind of psychological affirmation and not transactional redemption.
Why do you think Paul in Romans spends chapters 1, 2 and 3 affirming the sinfulness of man before he ever gets to salvation? That's the whole issue. And the rich young ruler had no sense of his offending God, he had no remorse. I believe there has to be remorse. I believe that's where you get the Beatitude attitude, you have to be begging God for forgiveness. There needs to be a sense of meekness. There needs to be a sense of mourning overwhelmed by your sin. You see, he didn't have that. He wanted psychological needs met. But I don't see the remorse over sin at all in this passage. I don't see him saddened that he's offended God. I don't see him aware of his sin. It's got to be more than something about my needs.
You can't just approach people on that basis. You know the truth of the matter is, this may sound like heresy, but did you know that God doesn't have a wonderful plan for your life? Unless you consider eternal torment a wonderful plan. He has a horrible plan. And maybe when we approach people, we ought to say, "Did you know that God loves you and has a horrible plan for your life?" And you understand what I mean? You see, we have to approach the sin problem. You can tell them the Old Testament says, "God is angry with sinners every day." A good God, a holy God, a pure God can't tolerate evil at all. So Jesus affirms what must always be affirmed that there's a divine law which must be kept and if you violate that law, you're under the judgment of God.
Now this is the barrier. Young man, you're incomplete. You've got to see yourself as living in violation of holy God and you've got to be willing to acknowledge that and abandon that. And the Lord puts up a barrier, a pre-salvation barrier is what it is. This young man is incredible. And I think he's sincere. But look at his answer. Verse 18, "He said to Him, Which?" Which what? Which laws? He says you keep the commandments? Which? You name them. Which ones?
So, the Lord responds by giving him the last half of the Ten Commandments in reverse. Do no murder, shall not commit adultery, shall not steal, shall not bear false witness, honor thy father and thy mother, and then He adds, love your neighbor as yourself. You know, the Ten Commandments are divided into two parts. The first half deal with God, the second half deal with man. In other words, man's relation to God is the first half, no idols, you know, never take His name in vain, all that. The second half deal with man. The man...He gives him the second half which are easier, right? I mean, they're both impossible to keep but the second half is less impossible. Does that make sense? I mean, at least he wouldn't have said, "Well, I've kept all the first...." You know you didn't love God the way you should have and you haven't been totally honest before God, but at least you might say, "Well, I never killed anybody, I never stole from anybody, I never committed adultery with anybody and I never lied to anybody and I've always tried to honor my father and mother."
In other words, you might think you did the second half. So He gives him the benefit of the doubt, gives him the easier half of the impossible, if you will. And then adds a little one at the end just to make it really difficult, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." So, Jesus nails him against the Ten Commandments, against the law of God. You've got to understand that it's God that you're violating. The law of God is the issue, sin is the issue not just psychological felt need, not just religious desire. So He gives him all these laws. And He reverses them, He ends up with the father and mother one. I don't know, maybe He knew that the guy was not honoring his father and mother, I don't know why He chose that order. But He preaches law.
Now let me just give you a little footnote for your thinking. You can't preach grace until you preach law, right? Cause nobody understands what grace means unless he understands what law requires. No one understands mercy unless they understand guilt. And so you cannot preach a gospel of grace unless you've preached a message of law. So He binds the guy to the commandments of God, says you've got to keep them all and here are the ones you've got to keep. And the whole idea is so that the guy will say, "Hey, I...I've fallen short of that." And that's the whole point. Now you know that what you need is not simply to have your psychological needs met, what you also need is to get right with a holy God whom you have offended. See.
But this guy's unbelievable. In verse 20, "The young man said to Him, All these things have I kept." Now that shows you how he perceived those laws. Maybe he never murdered anybody. Maybe he never committed adultery. Maybe he never stole anything and he never lied to anybody. And he really thought he honored his father and his mother. I mean, maybe on the surface he did do those things in the way that they had been defined to him as external. Now you know, when it got to the internal deal of love your neighbor as yourself, that he was woofing when he said he kept them all. And now we know he's not telling the truth. So he violated one of the former ones already.
But, you see, the Jews had gotten into a deal where they had so externalized the law that they saw everything on the outside and they never dealt with the heart. I mean, Jesus when He preached in Matthew 5, you remember what He said? He said, "I know you don't think you murder but when you hate someone, you murder in your heart," right? "And I know you don't think you commit adultery, but when you look on a woman to lust after her, you've committed adultery in your heart. And when you divorce your wives without biblical grounds, you commit adultery as well. And I know you say you don't lie, but I'll tell you one thing, you have all these phony oaths and you lie through your phony oaths."
In other words, Jesus says to them all through Matthew 5, on the outside you look good but on the inside you've got all this vile evil. You see, the Ten Commandments were simply external pictures, external symbols, external behavior patterns that were to be indicative of hearts that were right. It wasn't enough not to kill someone, you shouldn't hate someone. It wasn't enough not to commit adultery, you shouldn't even want to do that. It wasn't enough not to lie, you shouldn't even desire to do that or to try to fool somebody or to make a vow that was not legitimate. The point is that the man didn't understand the internal character of God's law, he understood only the externals. And so he said, "On the outside I've kept all these things." He thought he was really okay. He thought he was as Jewish as you could be, as religious as you could be. It's amazing.
And again, it's amazing that he said that in the presence of all those people. He must have felt that they would affirm that, that it was believable to them, that the guy was really a good guy...terrific guy, religious. And externally he kept the law.
But, you see, that was his whole problem. You see, all he wanted was some fulfillment in the empty place in his heart. He had no sense of having violated God at all. And Jesus couldn't take him on those terms. He had to slice him open. As Samuel Boulton(?) said, "When you see that men have been wounded by the law, then it is time to pour in the gospel oil." He said it is the needle of the law that pulls through the scarlet thread of the gospel. So you've got to wound them before you can sew them up.
What he was saying, in effect, was "I don't have any real sin. I've kept all that...I can't...I look at myself and I don't see any sin." It's incredible. Listen, this man couldn't be saved. He couldn't be saved because he didn't understand the real meaning of salvation, that's a sinner coming to God and asking forgiveness, right? If you don't think you've sinned, you can't get there. So here's a guy who sought eternal life, sought it diligently, asked the right question and when Jesus stopped him at that point, confronted him with his sin, he wouldn't confess his sin. Listen, beloved, confession of sin, repentance, turning from sin is an utter essential in salvation. It's an utter essential. Has to be there. And our Lord is proving that point to us explicitly...explicitly.
The young man had totally missed the point of God's law. He had externalized the whole thing, failed to understand that the external law was only an indication of how God wanted the heart to be. So our Lord tried to open up the heart to him and he couldn't see it. He said, "I..all these things have I kept." And then he says at the end of verse 20, "What lack I yet?" What haven't I done? In other words, I've tried to do it all. I've tried to do every bit of it. And in my own mind, I'm convinced I did.
You know, this is the way...this is the way self-righteous religion works, by the way. It's very self-deceiving, it's very self-convincing. This guy actually believed this. He believed he was righteous. He really did. He believed he'd kept the law. He kept the code. And he just couldn't figure out what else he ought to do. For him it wasn't, "Oh, I know I've fallen short." For him it was, "You know, I've done everything good, what other good thing could I think to do?" That's an incredible approach.
Now, our..the Bible says at this point, in Mark 10, "Jesus looked at him and loved him." It's a very kind of pathetic statement, "Jesus looked at him and loved him." The guy was sincere. There was something genuine in him. He really was a religious person. And Jesus loved him. And Jesus is not willing that any should perish. And the Lord Jesus Himself was about to die for the sins of this man and He wanted this man in the sense that He longed for the soul of that man. But He would still not take him on his own terms. You understand?
As much as He loved him and as much as He was not willing that he perish, He still wouldn't take him on his terms. He had to have him understand his utter sinfulness. Where was the mourning? Where was the sorrow over sin? Where was the sense of having violated holy God? It wasn't there. It just wasn't there. In fact, the guy couldn't even think of anything that he hadn't done. "What lack I yet?"
So, I say again that the sixth point in our outline in obtaining eternal life is confession, repentance. Confession of sin, repentance--turning from sin. And this is where this guy went out. I mean, he wouldn't do it. And this is a necessary element. And may I add at this point, it is as much a work of the Holy Spirit as is any other element in true salvation. It isn't some kind of pre-salvation human work. We know we are dependent on the Spirit of God for it and that's the mystery of how the Spirit works and the human will as well. But Jesus wouldn't take him without confession of his sin, without an understanding that he must turn from his sin.
So, Jesus, then, goes even another step. In verse 21, "He said to him, If you will be perfect," and by the way, perfect is often used in the Bible to speak of salvation, particularly in the book of Hebrews. "If you will be perfect, Go sell what you have, give to the poor and thou shalt have treasure in heaven and come and follow Me."
You say you love your neighbor as yourself. Okay, go give everything you've got to your neighbor, your poor neighbor. If you really love him as much as you love you, you'll be glad to have him have everything you have.
Now what is this? This is the seventh element, submit to obey the Lord. Here is a pre-salvation test for this guy. Jesus, in effect, is saying, "Are you going to do what I want you to do? Who runs your life? Do you or do I?" And He gives him a test. He gives him a command and says when you're done with this first command, come right back here and keep on following Me.
True salvation, I believe, includes confession of sin, repentance and true salvation includes a submission to obey the Lord. Now let me say this. I don't think a person coming to Christ understands fully all that that confession may mean and I don't think they all...they understand necessarily all that that submission to the Lordship of Christ may mean, but all the Lord is asking for here is the willingness. And He'll unfold the fullness of what it means.
Jesus really hit the sin of this guy. The sin of this guy was a sin of covetousness, it was a sin of indulgence, it was a sin of materialism, wealth and all that stuff. And he was indifferent to people who were poor and people who were in need. And He nailed him on that thing. And He said, "I want to give you the ultimate test, will you...will you do what I say? Will you obey My Lordship?"
Do you have to be...by the way, do you have to give away everything you have to be a Christian? Do you? No, no you don't. The Lord didn't say that to other folks. But do you have to be willing to do whatever the Lord asks you to do? Yes. And it may be different in different cases. But the Lord put the finger on the issue here. He took us right back to the principle of Luke 14:33, the people who are My disciples are the people who forsake all. And He says to the guy, "Look, are you willing to do what I tell you? And right now I'm telling you to get rid of everything." And He knew right where He was talking because He knew this was most important to the guy. For some people it might be a car. For some people it might be a girl. For some people it might be a job or a career or a certain sin they want to indulge in. For this guy, it was his money and his possessions. And the Lord put His finger on it and said, "Are you willing to give every bit of that up?"
I always think about the slave. His master said to him, "Ah, how can I have what you have?" And he said, "Put on your white suit, come down here and work in the mud with us slaves." He said, "I'll never do it." He said, "Why do I have to do that to be a Christian." He said, "I'm just telling you, you have to do it." And he said, "I'll never do it."
Came back later and said the same thing to him. He gave him the same answer. Three times...the fourth time, the guy came back and said, "I'm willing to do it cause I want what you have." He says, "You don't have to do it. You just have to be willing to do it."
It may not have been. It may not have been, but for this guy alone that Jesus directed that specific command. But what He was doing was putting His finger on the very nerve of this man's existence. He knew right where his heart was and He was saying, "Unless Jesus Christ is number one priority in your life, there's no salvation coming to you." You understand that?" He was telling...He was asking him what his priority was.
Now, salvation, I think, demands these two things. Will you acknowledge your offense to God and turn from your sin? That's what He's saying. And the guy wouldn't do it. He just wouldn't acknowledge his sin. And the second thing, will you leave your present perishing priorities and follow My commands though they cost you what is dearest to you? That's what He's saying. I don't know how else you can interpret the passage. Salvation is a commitment, then, to leave sin and follow Jesus Christ at all costs. And if you're not willing to do it on those terms, Jesus doesn't take you.
You see, the faith that will not save is the faith that offers to men some psychological relief from their anxiety, but does not require a turning from sin and an affirmation of the Lordship of Christ. In Matthew 13 you have two parables, verses 44 to 46, you have the parable of the hidden treasure and the parable of the pearl of great price. I believe those refer to the salvation that's offered in the Kingdom. And in both cases, you remember the man sold everything he had, bought the field to get the treasure and the guy sold everything he had to get the money to buy the pearl, all it cost you is everything you have. To come to Jesus Christ you have to say yes to Christ which means You become the supreme Lord of my life and You take number one priority. If you tell me to do that, that's what I'm willing to do.
I don't think people understand the full implications of the Lordship of Christ. But I do think salvation involves a commitment to that. And that's exactly what Romans 10:9 and 10 means when it says, "Thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, thou shalt be saved." There's a price for salvation, all you have, all you possess.
Now this was the test, see. Cause this guy held on to everything in life. And what was his reaction? Verse 22, "But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful for he had great possessions." He went away. Why? What was more important to him than Christ? Possessions. And he couldn't come on those terms. He could not come on those terms.
You know, isn't it interesting that he went away sorrowful? What does that mean? He went away sorrowful because there was some honesty in his heart. I mean, he really did want eternal life, he wasn't willing to pay the price. And unless he forsakes all, he can't be My disciple.
Do you want me to show you the opposite kind of attitude? Look at Luke 19. "And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho and behold there was a man named Zacchaeus, who was the chief among the tax collectors. He was rich. He sought to see Jesus, who He was and couldn't because of the crowd for he was little of stature. He ran ahead and climbed up in a...actually a fig mulberry tree, to see Him. He was about to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him and said, Zacchaeus, make haste, come down, for today I must abide at thy house."
Now you don't usually find a tax collector in a tree. And you sure don't know his name and have your...and invite yourself to his house for dinner. It must have been a jolt. "And he made haste," might have fallen out, frankly, "came down and received Him joyfully." Why? Cause he was a seeker, too. He was a seeker. Tax collectors don't usually lose their dignity either by calling up in trees to watch parades go by, but he did. He was a real seeker.
"And when they saw it, they all murmured saying that He was gone to be the guest with a man that is a sinner. And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "O behold, the half of my goods I give to the poor and if I've taken anything from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold." You want to see the attitude of this guy? Boy, he knows he's been doing wrong all the time and he says, "Oh, I've got to get my life right. I've got to get my life right. I've got to get it right. I've got to give everything back. And I've got to give all this stuff to the poor. And I've got to return to everybody four hundred percent." This is the opposite, isn't it? I mean, the guy want...the first thing he wanted to do was unload everything he had. And Jesus said, "This day is salvation come to this house, for he also is a son of Abraham."
Here's a true Jew. And, boy, this is real salvation. Why? Cause the guy can only think of what a sinner he is and he wants to unload all of the stuff that he's taken unjustly from people and give them back, not only what they deserve but everything else he's got. "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which is lost."
Well, too bad about the young man in Matthew 19, isn't it? See, he wasn't willing to confess what Zacchaeus was. The Lord showed him he was a sinner. Measured him up against the law of God. He wouldn't see it. The Lord gave him a command, asked him to follow, he wouldn't do it. And so he demonstrated that because he was not willing to turn from his sin and because he was not willing to affirm the Lordship of Jesus Christ in his life, he could not receive salvation. "He went away very sad for he had great possessions."
He came for eternal life. And he left without it. Oh what a sad, sad thing. And so we learn a lot, don't we, from this story about how we present the gospel and what our Lord expects. Let's bow in prayer.
Father, thank You for the great truth of this passage. Thank You for how it helps us understand the gospel. And how consistent You are, it's always that way. You call for repentance. From the first we heard Your voice saying, "Repent, for the Kingdom is at hand," and all through the Scripture we hear of the fact that You are the sovereign Lord and those who come to you must come to you as Lord. So, Father, do Your perfect work of salvation. Find the true seeking heart who is bound with unfulfillment, who feels the pain of hopelessness, the absence of joy and peace, who seeks eternal life, seeks it diligently and eagerly, comes to the right source, asks the right question, but who also is willing to acknowledge sin and see themselves as one who's violated the holy law of holy God and is willing to abandon their life to the sovereign Lordship of Christ. Do a saving work, Father, in hearts even in this place this morning. May Your Holy Spirit bring about that conviction of sin, bring about that repentance. May Your Holy Spirit work that work of submission and obedience, even though they don't yet understand all that it means, may Your Spirit do that as a part of the saving work.
Father, we thank You that You are so clear as we study this great treasure of Your Word.
This article is also available and sold as a booklet.
This sermon series includes the following messages:
Please contact the publisher to obtain copies of this resource.Publisher Information


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Webinar Recap: An Environmental Perspective on Fracking
On Friday, April 12, Kate Sinding, Senior Attorney and Deputy Director of the New York Program at the Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC), discussed fracking from the perspective of an environmental organization as part the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy's Policy Workshop Webinar Series on "Emerging Issues in Shale Gas Development." Ms. Sinding's webinar, which was the final event in this year's webinar series, can be viewed below. Her slides are also available for download here.
State and Local Regulatory Issues for Fracking from YCELP on Vimeo.
In her webinar, Ms. Sinding discussed the many concerns that NRDC and others in the environmental community have about fracking and oil and gas development more broadly, including pollution of aquifers and surface water, air pollution, contributions to climate change from both use of fossil fuels and their production, public health impacts, and impacts on communities where oil and gas drilling occurs. She noted that there are many holes in our current understanding of these impacts – particularly in the area of public health – as well as in the the regulatory regimes needed to adequately protect communities from these impacts in both the short- and long-term. While some states are doing a better job of addressing fracking impacts than others, Ms. Sinding said that NRDC does not believe that any state currently provides an effective model for regulating in this area.
Due to the uncertainty surrounding fracking and other oil and gas impacts, Ms. Sinding noted that NRDC's national position on fracking is that "NRDC opposes expanded fracking until effective safeguards are in place." She described this position as:
- Pragmatic – working to achieve the necessary transition to a clean energy economy while simultaneously recognizing that fossil fuels are likely to continue to play a role in our energy portfolio for the foreseeable future and working to address the adverse environmental impacts from this oil and gas development.
- Flexible – designed to operate across the various political realities in the U.S. and abroad, including states where fracking is not yet occurring (e.g., New York) and states where oil and gas production is occurring and needs more effective environmental safeguards (e.g., Pennsylvania).
- Protective – emphasizing that the current regulation of fracking and oil and gas production as a whole is inadequate – due to both numerous exemptions under federal law and a patchwork of state responses – and that more effective regulations and scientific research are needed to protect communities.
In response to these needs, NRDC recently launched a Community Fracking Defense Project, which Ms. Sinding discussed both in her presentation and during the subsequent audience Q&A. More details on this initiative and other NRDC efforts in this area are available on the organization's Natural Gas Drilling webpage.
Series Recap: Emerging Issues in Shale Gas Development
Ms. Sinding's webinar concludes the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy's 2012-2013 Policy Workshop Webinar Series on "Emerging Issues in Shale Gas Development." For a recap of the series, including links to summary blog posts and video recordings from each of our speakers, please click here.
The Policy Workshop Webinar Series will continue next academic year, 2013-2014, with an examination of environmental law and policy issues in the area of food and agriculture.


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It has the hallmarks of a failed Match.com date.
Sure, you have common interests. Namely superheroes, Christopher Nolan and watching things blow up real good.
And it's definitely a looker.
But while listening to it yammer on for 2 hours about where it comes from and all of its daddy issues, you realize there's just no spark.
"Man of Steel" kicks off with an extended look at a vastly different Krypton — no sterile ice palaces here — than we've come to know. Not to mention a badass Jor-El (Russell Crowe) who's about as far removed as he could be from the white-haired peacenik draped in glowing tinfoil of 1978's sillier-than-you-remember "Superman."
There are a few departures. The genesis chambers, for example, in which all of Krypton's children except Kal-El, the planet's first natural birth in centuries, are grown to fill specific roles. But for the most part, the backstory is the same as ever.
General Zod (Michael Shannon) and his cohorts stage an unsuccessful coup and are exiled to the Phantom Zone. (This time, though, they're not smushed into a pane of Plexiglas.) Shortly after a newborn Kal-El is shipped off to Earth, Krypton explodes.
Fear not, Crowe fans. Jor-El, or at least his consciousness, returns at key moments to interact with various characters, rendering him equal parts Jor-El and Jor-Exposition.
"Man of Steel" wisely skips over Kal-El's formative years as Clark Kent, covering his time in Smallville with his adoptive parents Martha and Jonathan (Diane Lane and a weathered, spot-on Kevin Costner) with a few flashbacks.
The first time we see Clark ("The Tudors' " Henry Cavill), he's a ripped, bearded drifter, "Deadliest Catch"-ing his way across the Pacific Northwest with absolutely no interest in journalism. (Et tu, Superman?)
The Daily Planet is still there, though. Thankfully, it hasn't been reduced to a blog or a snarky gossip site. It even still has the budget to send intrepid reporter Lois Lane (Amy Adams, far more believable than Margot Kidder) around the globe, including to the site of a mysterious craft submerged in ice where she first meets Clark.
That craft, a scout ship sent from Krypton 18,000 years ago, also acts as a homing beacon for Zod and his crew, who've spent the past 33 years hunting Kal/Clark across the universe. Zod, full of Shannon's finely honed brand of quivering rage, interrupts TV broadcasts and hijacks cellphones across the globe with a message for Clark: "Surrender within 24 hours or watch this world suffer the consequences."
What follows is a convoluted plan by which Zod — who's given new depth with the revelation that he was genetically engineered to protect Krypton — wants to rebuild the dead planet on Earth using a "world engine," a "phantom drive" and other assorted whatchamacallits.
There's also a series of uninspired fight scenes that go on longer than that runway in "Fast & Furious 6."
"Man of Steel" should be so much better than this, considering the script comes from David S. Goyer ("Batman Begins"), with a story by him and Nolan, who so masterfully rejuvenated Batman in the "Dark Knight" trilogy.
Director Zack Snyder ("300," "Watchmen") clearly wants to distance "Man of Steel" from the Christopher Reeve movies — and their spiritual successor, 2006's "Superman Returns" — but he may have overcorrected.
There's no slapstick, no golly-gee enthusiasm, and no glasses-on, glasses-off chicanery. But there's also very little joy. Even a single, well-timed snippet from John Williams' iconic score would have blown the roof off of theaters.
After the success of "The Avengers," Warner Bros. is desperate to get a Justice League movie off the ground. "Man of Steel" even recalls some of those Marvel movies. Its showdown on the main drag of Smallville is reminiscent of a similar set piece in "Thor," and its widespread decimation of New York — err, Metropolis — by aliens a la "The Avengers" can't shake its been-there, destroyed-that vibe.
The somber "Man of Steel," though, fits squarely into Nolan's world, paving the way for "Justice League." If the previous movies were comic books, this is most definitely a graphic novel.
There's still plenty to like about "Man of Steel," thanks in large part to its top-notch cast. Reeve is, was and always will be the ultimate Superman. But with the other possible exception of Crowe's replacing Marlon Brando's Jor-El, every other actor is an upgrade.
And it's important to remember that the "Dark Knight" trilogy didn't become a classic until it got past its own origin story.
I'm excited to see where "Man of Steel" goes, now that it's accomplished its own bit of world building.
There's every reason to expect the inevitable sequels will be better.
Even if you don't fall in love, they'll surely make for a good booty call.
Christopher Lawrence is the film critic for the Las Vegas (NV) Review-Journal. Contact him at email@example.com


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Category Archives: Our Educational System
SCUSD's Overblown Salaries (2015 Figures)
There are One Thousand, One Hundred, and Thirty-One (1131) educators making 6-figure salaries within Sacramento City Unified School District. There are One Thousand, One Hundred, and Ninety-One (1191) additional educators making over $70K. Another Eight-Hundred and Fifty (850) make $50K … Continue reading


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I`ve got a stainless Marving on one of my Bigs that has been there twenty years or so with no problems. Sounds good and needs no rejetting.
Leave your system as it is as you`ll need to make up a link pipe for the Gixxer can which will cost £££££
Just on the exhaust front, alot of people seem to be going to the effort of adapting the GSXR end cans for the DR750/800.. What are the benefits of this over an aftermarket off the shelf set-up like the Marving one? Thats what my DR came with.
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Exploring the Southern Ocean
The fourth largest ocean in the world
Antarctica, the coldest, windiest, and driest continent at the bottom of the world is surrounded by icy water on all sides. The waters of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans swirl around this land mass in a wind driven fury.
These ocean waters are isolated from a body of water known as the Southern Ocean by an oceanographic phenomenon called the Antarctic Convergence. The Southern Ocean extends from the coast of Antarctica north to 60 degrees south latitude which coincides with the Antarctic Treaty Limit.
The Southern Ocean is an important element of the biology of the continent and of the climate. Indeed, this body of water affects the meteorological patterns of the entire globe.
Most visitors to Antarctica journey across a narrow stretch of water separating South America and the Antarctic Peninsula known as the Drake Passage. Others cross from points in Australia and South Africa. Those who journey south will pass through the "roaring forties" and then the "furious fifties", colorful monikers for longitudinal lines indicating the southern progress towards the ice kingdom of Antarctica. After voyaging through the "screaming sixties", the continent becomes visible. These ominous terms come from the sailors who have made these difficult journeys in the past. The waters of this ocean are turbulent. Persistent westerly winds generate strong swells and, sometimes, mountainous seas. Lucky passengers experience relatively calm seas, when the passage is known as the "Drake Lake". Others pay "The Drake Tax" and experience the "Drake Shake".
- View the Current Wave Height and Direction (South Atlantic Region)
The Southern Ocean is the fourth largest ocean (after the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and Indian Ocean, but larger than the Arctic Ocean), with an area roughly 13.7 million square miles. Technically, the Southern Ocean begins at the Antarctic Convergence and extends to the coasts of the continent.
The Antarctic Convergence is marked by a noticeable decline in water temperatures. The change is sudden and can amount to a 3-5 degree Fahrenheit drop. The waters below the convergence differ in temperature, density and salinity. The exact location of the convergence varies slightly throughout the year. When crossing the convergence there is little surface indication of the event…the waters aren't rougher and there is no obvious change in appearance. Usually the engineers of the vessel will detect the temperature drop and announce the crossing based on that observation.
One important feature of the Southern Ocean is the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. This is the world's biggest ocean current, flowing eastward at an astonishing rate of 153 million cubic meters per second. This is roughly a thousand times the flow of the Amazon.
Like all the Earth's oceans, the Southern Ocean is made up of separate water masses or layers. These masses flow in different directions based on surface conditions (usually wind driven) and gravitational forces. In the Southern Ocean there are two distinct surface currents, pushed by strong prevailing winds in opposite directions. Beneath the surface run counter currents generated by the Earth's rotation and gravitational forces. These sub-surface currents carry cold, Antarctic waters northward and bring warm subtropical waters southward to replace them.
Between latitudes 50 and 60s, successive cyclonic storms produce strong winds resulting in the West Wind Drift. This current moves eastward at around 2.2 miles per hour. The northern boundary of this current spreads northward with cold Antarctic water, mixing with relatively warm sub-tropical waters. This mixing zone is the Antarctic Convergence.
Closer to the continent, southerly winds blowing off Antarctica are diverted by the Earth's rotation, producing easterly winds which drive the East Wind Drift. This current flows at 1/10 the speed of the West Wind Drift and moves westward.
Between the two surface currents, lies an area known as the
Antarctic Divergence, a section of water rich in nutrients. Here
large populations of krill and fish can be found, along with the
creatures that feed on them (seals, sea birds and whales).
Southern Ocean Geography
Content Courtesy -
CIA The World
Location: body of water between 60 degrees south latitude and Antarctica Geographic coordinates: 65 00 S, 0 00 E (nominally), but the Southern Ocean has the unique distinction of being a large circumpolar body of water totally encircling the continent of Antarctica; this ring of water lies between 60 degrees south latitude and the coast of Antarctica, and encompasses 360 degrees of longitude.
Area: total: 20.327 million sq km. This includes Amundsen Sea, Bellingshausen Sea, part of the Drake Passage, Ross Sea, a small part of the Scotia Sea, Weddell Sea, and other tributary water bodies.
Area - comparative: slightly more than twice the size of the US.
Coastline: 17,968 km
Climate: sea temperatures vary from about 10 degrees Celsius to -2 degrees Celsius; cyclonic storms travel eastward around the continent and frequently are intense because of the temperature contrast between ice and open ocean; the ocean area from about latitude 40 south to the Antarctic Circle has the strongest average winds found anywhere on Earth; in winter the ocean freezes outward to 65 degrees south latitude in the Pacific sector and 55 degrees south latitude in the Atlantic sector, lowering surface temperatures well below 0 degrees Celsius; at some coastal points intense persistent drainage winds from the interior keep the shoreline ice-free throughout the winter.
Terrain: the Southern Ocean is deep, 4,000 to 5,000 meters over most of its extent with only limited areas of shallow water; the Antarctic continental shelf is generally narrow and unusually deep - its edge lying at depths of 400 to 800 meters (the global mean is 133 meters); the Antarctic icepack grows from an average minimum of 2.6 million square kilometers in March to about 18.8 million square kilometers in September, better than a sixfold increase in area; the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (21,000 km in length) moves perpetually eastward; it is the world's largest ocean current, transporting 130 million cubic meters of water per second - 100 times the flow of all the world's rivers.
Elevation Extremes:
lowest point: -7,235 m at the southern end of the South Sandwich Trench.
Highest point: sea level 0 m.
Natural resources: probable large and possible giant oil and gas fields on the continental margin, manganese nodules, possible placer deposits, sand and gravel, fresh water as icebergs, squid, whales, and seals - none exploited; krill, fishes.
Natural hazards: huge icebergs with drafts up to several hundred meters; smaller bergs and iceberg fragments; sea ice (generally 0.5 to 1 meter thick) with sometimes dynamic short-term variations and with large annual and interannual variations; deep continental shelf floored by glacial deposits varying widely over short distances; high winds and large waves much of the year; ship icing, especially May-October; most of region is remote from sources of search and rescue.
Environment - current issues: increased solar ultraviolet radiation resulting from the Antarctic ozone hole in recent years, reducing marine primary productivity (phytoplankton) by as much as 15% and damaging the DNA of some fish; illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in recent years, especially the landing of an estimated five to six times more Patagonian toothfish than the regulated fishery, which is likely to affect the sustainability of the stock; large amount of incidental mortality of seabirds resulting from long-line fishing for toothfish
- Note: the now-protected fur seal population is making a strong comeback after severe overexploitation in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Environment - international agreements: the Southern Ocean is subject to all international agreements regarding the world's oceans; in addition, it is subject to these agreements specific to the Antarctic region: International Whaling Commission (prohibits commercial whaling south of 40 degrees south [south of 60 degrees south between 50 degrees and 130 degrees west]); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Seals (limits sealing); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (regulates fishing)
- Note: many nations (including the US) prohibit mineral resource exploration and exploitation south of the fluctuating Polar Front (Antarctic Convergence) which is in the middle of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and serves as the dividing line between the very cold polar surface waters to the south and the warmer waters to the north.
Geography - note: the major chokepoint is the Drake Passage between South America and Antarctica; the Polar Front (Antarctic Convergence) is the best natural definition of the northern extent of the Southern Ocean; it is a distinct region at the middle of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current that separates the very cold polar surface waters to the south from the warmer waters to the north; the Front and the Current extend entirely around Antarctica, reaching south of 60 degrees south near New Zealand and near 48 degrees south in the far South Atlantic coinciding with the path of the maximum westerly winds.
chance for Southern Ocean
Scientists in Australia have warned that fish piracy is damaging the Southern Ocean to such an extent that time is running out to save it. BBC News Article
Posted: Friday, 23 January, 2004, 17:21 GMT
Image Courtesy: AFP
Other Links
CLIVAR Southern Ocean
Southern Ocean and Drake Passage
Polynyas, CO2, and Diatoms in the Southern Ocean
Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition
Hydrographic Atlas of the Southern Ocean
Southern Ocean Global Ocean Ecosystems Dynamics
Antarctica and Southern Ocean Biodiversity: Fact Sheet
U.S. JGOFS Antarctic Environment and Southern Ocean Process Study (AESOPS)
Antarctica and Southern Oceans Group, University of Otago, New Zealand
Southern Ocean Iron RElease Experiment (SOIREE ) | Additional Information
Marine Researchers Fertilize Southern Ocean To Study Climate Change
Please email all questions or comments with this site to Technical Support.


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• Jomsom is a small beautiful town situated behind the Annapurna Himalaya and gateway of upper Mustang and Annapurna circuit trekking.
• Lo-Manthang is an ancient and historical walled city. It is main attraction of trip. During the trek we can visit many Gomba & monastery on the trail
• Open grasslands are within the park. Many of the forest tracks throughout the park also present very good game viewing.
• More than 350 specie birds are available including storks, geese, jungle fowls, cormorants, egret, and rare species such as the Bengal florican, silver-eared mesia and the saurus crane.
|Map Legend
|Destination Management Inc (DMI)Nepal
Thamel, Kathmandu, Nepal


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Aired this evening in Australia, the latest episode of Channel 10's popular reality/cooking program featured a dish from us - and here are the close up shots in case you missed it!
We were very happy to be approached by George Calombaris from The Press Club restaurant in Melbourne to consult on some new dishes to coincide with the reopening of his restaurant after a recent refurbishment. The reopening was the focal point of the latest episode and a "Hell's Kitchen' style battle ensued between the blues and the reds. We were asked to develop a dish for the contestants to participate in preparing for diners as part of an 'elimination' process.
The brief was to come up with a light, and stunning looking dessert which incorporated the theme of 'Aphrodite', the Greek goddess of love & beauty. We decided to come up with a sort of rose garden (Aphrodite was closely linked to roses), but the main component of the dessert is a smooth white chocolate mousse which encapsulates a liquid rose & raspberry centre. This provided a spectacular finish to a delicious dessert but also provided the contestants with an additional technical element to master.
Other components on this dessert were the clear rose jelly, nitro frozen fruits, chocolate soil, beautifully crystallized rose petals and baby tarragon shoots. We hope you'll agree this dish looks stunning and we assure you it tastes just as good as it looks! The contestants on the night (&day), were fantastic to work with and the level of talent and expertise were a credit to them, quite surprising considering they are all still amateur cooks.
Special mention goes to Matthew & Skye who executed the dessert brilliantly. We enjoyed this job and hopefully you enjoyed the episode. If you missed it, check out the Masterchef Australia website to see past episodes. We will inform you of another appearance of ours on the show, lined up for next month, closer to the time.
Click here to see the episode again! http://www.masterchef.com.au/video.htm?vxSiteId=f8066236-e138-457a-95f4-298ed80718f8&vxChannel=Full%20Episodes%20Complete


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Head coach Murry Bartow and his staff split the ETSU men's basketball squad prior to today's game where the Blue team consisted of: Aaron Scott (
The final buzzer of the first half sounded with the Blue team having the slight 40-36 advantage over the Gold. Led by Smith with 17 points and Nuckles with seven defensive rebounds during the first half this afternoon, the Blue team posted a 54.8 shooting percentage during the first half of the game. For the Gold, Sneed posted ten points and five rebounds, while Rhoda and Oatman finished the first half with three assists each.
"This scrimmage was a great opportunity for our players and staff to evaluate where we are at this point and we saw a lot of encouraging effort this afternoon," coach Bartow said. "Tim (Smith) and James (Anthony) played very well and our inside guys made plays all afternoon. We still have work to do before we open our season but we saw a lot of good things during our scrimmage today."
The beginning of the second half both teams fell into a fast paced style of play with the lead changing hands several times throughout. For the Blue team, Mitchell and Surmacz each added seven rebounds in the win, while Smith posted a game-high 28 points with five assists for the afternoon and Nuckles added 17 rebounds and 16 points. Leading the Gold team was Anthony with 21 points and four rebounds, while Sneed, Rhoda and Reed added 18, 11 and 14 points respectively on the afternoon.
The ETSU men's basketball squad will host VASDA-USA in an exhibition game set for Nov. 13 at 4:00 p.m. before opening the 2004-2005 regular season at home versus UVA-Wise on Nov. 20 at 4:00 p.m. The Lady Bucs basketball squad will open their season on the road versus Tennessee Tech on Nov. 19, game time is set for 7:00 p.m. (CST). As always, visit www.ETSUBucs.com for updates and scores for all of the Buccaneer athletic teams.


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By Helen Thompson, head of PR, ACCA
IR can help restore trust in business, but now is the time to put the Framework into action
The launch today of the IIRC's Integrated Reporting Framework is welcomed by ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants), saying this represents a landmark opportunity to break down the silos in corporate reporting.
Helen Brand OBE, ACCA's chief executive says: "Now is the time to put the Framework into practice. This presents a significant opportunity to refresh corporate reporting and to place investor's needs central to the process."
ACCA believes that IR brings a number of benefits because it offers a focus on the long term strategy and performance of a business. The Framework centres on the material information about an organisation's governance, strategy, prospects and performance that reflect the commercial, social and environmental context within which the organisation operates.
Helen Brand adds: "A better understanding of long-term risks to commercial models can only be of benefit to business and to the investor community. Explaining how corporate value is created and sustained is important, and the IR Framework enables business to do this.
"Ultimately, I hope that IR will restore trust in business – reporting models have been criticised in the past, but now is the time for change. I am sure the accountancy profession is ready and willing to show the necessary leadership to make that change happen."
ACCA and IR
- Helen Brand, ACCA's chief executive, is a member of the IIRC's Council;
- Neil Stevenson, ACCA's executive director – brand, sits on the IIRC's Working Group;
- ACCA's global network has been raising awareness of IR and supporting the IIRC's outreach work for a number of years;
- ACCA's Annual Reports for 2011 / 12 and 2012 / 13 have been produced using the IR Framework, giving a concise, clear and comprehensive picture of how ACCA has created value by making its strategy happen.


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Field editor and Team FIN product tester Daryl Bridenbaugh offers this report for the week of Sept. 11, 2011.
We have received 8 in. of rain in the last 2 1/2 weeks in northwest Ohio. Since we were dry here all summer, this was a perfect rain for us. Now the crops that were planted in June are finally growing well. We have relatives living in central Pennsylvania who were inundated with rain. They had 13 in. of rain in 72 hours of time. Roads were washed out and buildings were swept away by the mountain streams. We are hoping that sunny weather continues and that we don't have an early frost.
I traveled to western Indiana last week on Route 6, which is near the top of the state. Some of the corn had already been shelled. Crop maturity is all over the place because of the rain-delayed planting season and dry summer weather. Some farmers were still using their pivots to irrigate their crops.
When coming home from Indiana after dark, I saw a series of eerie red lights in the sky. I couldn't figure out what they were. They were staggered all over the place. Then I remembered that the windmill farm was in that area. We are getting some breezy days now so I am sure the windmills are producing a lot of electricity. I read on the Internet last week that one of the next big developments will be battery packs of various sizes that will store excess electricity and release it when it is needed.


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Antoine Micheau - MD , Denis Hoa - MD , Susanne AEB Borofka - PhD - dipl. ECVDI
Published on
Thursday 28 February 2019
Anatomical parts
This module of vet-Anatomy presents 135 labeled anatomical illustrations of the osteology of the horse, specially illustrated and selected for veterinary students and equine veterinarians.
All illustrations of the equine osteology in this atlas of veterinary anatomy are original content created by Antoine Micheau - MD and are under the copyright of IMAIOS.
Sources and bibliography for text and illustrations:
Dog (15)
Horse (1)
Mouse (1)
Bull and cow (1)


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Schoch's Harley-Davidson
Find motorcycle dealers in Motorcycle USA's motorcycle dealer locator. Over 50,000 United States motorcycle dealerships are listed by state and motorcycle brands sold. You can contact, rate and review your local motorcycle dealerships. If we missed it, you can recommend your favorite motorcycle shop.
Schoch's Harley-Davidson
4300 Manor Drive
Stroudsburg, PA 18360
Stroudsburg, PA 18360
Schoch's Harley-Davidson is a motorcycle dealership located in Stroudsburg, PA selling Buell and Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Contact and map Schoch's Harley-Davidson through Motorcycle USA's Dealer Locator.
- schochharley-davidson.com
- Map It


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Legendary designer and director Tom Ford was born in Austin, Texas on August 27th, 1961 and from his earliest beginnings, was given free reign to explore his interests.
Later moving to New York City, Ford enrolled in an art history course at New York University. It was during his early years in New York that he discovered the influential Studio 54 nightclub and Andy Warhol's Factory.
After leaving NYU to concentrate on modeling (at one point he had no fewer than 12 TV commercials running at the same time), Ford transferred to Parsons School of Design and studied interior architecture before finishing his schooling at Parsons in Paris.
In 1986, Ford quickly returned to New York where he began his professional training. After working with famed American designer Cathy Hardwick, Ford worked under designer Marc Jacobs at Perry Ellis before moving back to Europe to work for Gucci in 1990. His time under legendary designers like Hardwick and Jacobs helped to direct his career towards serious clothing design.
At Gucci, his creativity and unique style landed him the role of Gucci's creative director in the mid-1990s. It was during this period that Ford took the then struggling company from the edges of fashion back to the center stage. By 1999, Gucci was reportedly worth $4.3 billion dollars.
As the company's inspirational and dedicated creative director, Ford was everywhere. Ford was responsible for the design and conception of clothing, perfumes, watches, luggage as well as Gucci's advertising campaigns. During this period the entire company had a distinct touch of Ford's design and brand vision.
When Gucci purchased a controlling stake in Yves Saint Laurent, Ford was appointed the company's communication and creative director. Even with this additional responsibility, Ford continued to design for Gucci. His ability to work on so many projects at once has gained him plenty of industry recognition.
Ford has won many awards throughout his career, including being named Designer of the Year by GQ and the CFDA Womenswear Designers of the Year award.
His new company, simply named "Tom Ford" was created in 2005. Look for Tom Ford boutiques in global fashion hotspots including Beverly Hills, London, Milan, Tokyo, Zurich, Dubai and Sydney as well as a flagship store on New York City's Madison Avenue.
Like many successful designers, Ford's appetite for conquering new challenges and learning new skills has allowed him to work comfortably in myriad mediums. He is known for utilizing a variety of design elements which he incorporates into his constantly expanding body of work.
Ford is also successful in design because he's been credited with having the ability to predict mass-market tastes. That is, when he likes a design, it's often something that a critical mass of people will also like.
A workaholic and perfectionist, Ford is said to only sleep a few hours a night. He is also known to keep Post-It notes bedside in the event that inspiration strikes during those few hours of sleep.
Having conquered the design world, Ford recently turned his creative energy to designing an entire world within the set of his first film, "A Single Man." The film was critically lauded and starred future Academy Award winner Colin Firth as well as Academy Award nominee Julianne Moore.
Tom Ford has arguably become one of the most influential American designers of our time.


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A 36-year-old man is in jail without bond after leading police on a high-speed chase that resulted in one deputy being hit by his vehicle.
PACE � A 36-year-old man is in jail without bond after leading police on a high-speed chase that resulted in one deputy being hit by his vehicle.
Deputies with the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office were called to Dominic Turner's home on Cosica Boulevard in Navarre for a possible domestic violence, according to the press release.
When officials arrived they found the Navarre man sitting in his black Lexus in the driveway of the home. Turner refused to comply with the deputies demands to leave the vehicle and fled the scene.
After speaking with the alleged victim of the domestic violence, deputies broadcasted Turner's information believing they had enough information to arrest him on domestic violence and tampering with a witness. While speaking with the victim, Turner sent the person a text stating, "the police won't stop him" and "we're not done until you're not breathing."
A patrol unit in Pace spotted Turner's car on U.S. Highway 90 and Watkins Street and attempted to do a traffic stop, but Turner refused to yield. He lead officials through Pace and Milton without stopping.
Throughout the chase, Turner drove against the flow of traffic, attempted to hit patrol cars and avoided "Spike Strips" deployed in an attempt to stop his vehicle.
During one deployment of the �Spike Strips�, Turner saw a deputy with the strips and sharply turned, leaving the roadway into the grass, aiming his vehicle at the deputy.
As Turner drove his vehicle off the road way into the grass, the deputy ran in an attempt to avoid being struck by Turner, but was still struck and thrown though the air.
Turner�s vehicle went approximately 30 feet off the roadway while at Hwy, 90 and Pond Creek, striking the deputy and eventually striking a large tree. Turner was able to maneuver his Lexus, which suffered substantial front end damage, back onto Highway 90 and continued to flee from other deputies.
The deputy that was struck was able to let other deputies know he had survived the impact. The deputy was taken to Santa Rosa Hospital. He sprained his knee and had numerous cuts and bruises, but has since been released from the hospital.
Turner also struck another patrol vehicle during the pursuit causing damage. The pursuit continued north on U.S. Highway 87, and came to an end on near Pleasant Grove Road after Turner�s vehicle could no longer continue.
Turner refused to comply with deputies trying to take him into custody and actively fought with officers. During the altercation, a deputy suffered multiple fractures to his finger.
A K9 unit was then deployed and subdued Turner. The Navarre man continued to fight and resist arrest.
Turner was then taken into custody and transported to Santa Rosa Hospital. He was treated for lacerations from the K9 apprehension, then released and transported to the Santa Rosa County Jail.
Turner was charged with attempted felony murder for striking a deputy with his vehicle.
He also was charged with aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest with violence, and fleeing/eluding a law enforcement officer with injuries and damage. Turner also was charged with the original domestic violence charges from the incident in Navarre.
Turner is being held in the Santa Rosa County Jail without bond.


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So, what do us atheists do for a living? Surely we are ALL not evolutionary biologists, astrophysicists or philosphers.
I'll start:
I am a sales planner for the North American Division of an international consumer product company.
How about you?
Views: 416
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Dr Gregory Popcak, who blogs at Faith On The Couch, wrote a fascinating post discussing the whys of our hook-up culture.
His conclusion?
Babies and young children aren't getting the love from their parents that they need. Specifically, they don't get the cuddling, kissing and touching love they need when they're little and so they spend their young adult lives trying to feed the resulting hunger for affection and touching through endless, mindless, destructive sexual hook-ups.
Dr Popcak theorizes that little boys have historically been deprived of this cuddle time. He says that moms and dads have tended to withdraw physical affection from little boys when they reach toddlerhood in a misguided effort to toughen them up and make men out of them.
I think he's onto something here. I can't count the number of times someone scolded me when my two or three year old little boy ran to me for comfort over a skinned knee or whatnot. "He's too attached to you," they opined. "He's got to stand on his own two feet."
I thought they were nuts. Little children need to attach absolutely and deeply to their parents, moms in particular. They need that safe place of momma's arms and momma's lap to cuddle, get rocked to sleep and loved. I am not saying that fathers should withhold affection from their little boys and girls. Far from it. Babies need to be doted on by both their parents.
This makes them feel safe. It insulates them from the world and its craven values, its cruelties and its indifference. That gives them the space to grow up into the people God meant them to be when He created them.
Dr Popcak says that the reason for the hook-up culture is that little girls are now also being deprived of the cuddling and physical closeness with their parents, I think their mothers in particular, by being shipped off to daycare at young ages.There's no surprise here. Institutions do not and can not give the kind of nurturing and bonding that young children get from their own parents.
When they reach their teens, they go searching for the cuddling they missed by engaging in repetitive hook-ups. They are searching for love in all the wrong places.
I left a great career in the legislature where I was chair of a powerful committee and flying high to stay home and raise my kids. This thrust our family into one-income poverty for years. It also loaded the whole responsibility for supporting our little clan onto my husband's shoulders.
My husband and I both paid a price for our decision to provide 24-hour, non-stop Mommy attention to our babies. He had the enormous pressure and oftentimes misery of having to stay on a job no matter what because he was the only one bringing home the bacon. I had to give up the prestige and power of my former position. Our whole family was stripped of all the little things that money can buy.
We didn't go hungry, but the kids wore a lot of garage sale clothes, and we used the library instead of buying books. I bought food once a month and made every meal from scratch. There was no eating out, the only movies were at the dollar movie theater and that was once in a while and we sneaked in canned drinks in my purse. (I lived in fear of my youngest blurting out in his baby voice — Mommy, make sure no one sees the Cokes in your purse!)
There is a price for putting your children first and all the things you can buy last. But there is also a pay off. That pay off is: No drugs, no promiscuity, no teen-aged rebellion, no self-destructive kids, no eye-rolling dissing of parents, and adult children who actually like their parents and come to us to talk over their problems with an absolute trust that we will be there for them and that they can tell us anything.Parents are starving their children emotionally in order to buy them things. The payback in terms of messed up kids is enormous.
It is not absolutely necessary for mom to stay home for the kids to turn out ok. I have friends who managed to do the two-income hop step and still raise children who turned out to be loving, non-promiscuous adults who could marry and raise children of their own.
However, not one of them divorced; mom and dad stayed together. And not one of them put their kids in a daycare. And not one of them engaged in other activities when their babies were little. The ones I know also had strong support, including child care, from their extended family. They worked while family members cared for the kids, and they came home and were a tight little family that absolutely adored and doted on their child. Also, all of them were well-educated people who rode the wave of good jobs that this country used to offer. They all had positions that paid enough that they could support their families without working more than 40 hours/week.
I do not know one family on the lower income rungs who has been successful at both parents working and raising their children. I'm sure they are there, but I do not personally know of one family where this has worked out.
Jobs at the lower end of our society are hard, often humiliating, and do not pay enough to really support a family. The upshot is that when both parents work, they come home exhausted and beaten up. They are not physically capable of providing cuddling, nurturing time with their babies. They are too tired.
Also, the tsunami of divorce and family dissolution has swept over working class families with disastrous results. Live-in boyfriends and parents with revolving beds are more the norm than the exception.
Rather than create homes for their children, these bed shifters raise their kids in chaotic environments that are isolating, neglectful and oftentimes dangerous. The children have no one they can trust, since their parents are living the lives of perpetual adolescents, and maladjusted adolescents at that. They often end up abused and battered by the various live-ins.
Ironically, working class parents with their reduced options can only provide the kind of nurturing environment that kids need if they ignore the trends of the culture and get married to one another, stay married and put their kids first.
I believe that it is far more important for lower income mothers to stay home with their children than it is for wealthier mothers who can get easier, more rewarding jobs that leave them with the energy to be a real mom when they get home. However, if they want their children to survive their job intact, the wealthier mothers need to forgo most other activities and really be a loving, cuddling, there mom when they go home.
I have friends and family who went the other way, and fell into all the cultural traps of putting their kids in daycare, and then ignoring them once they got home. I can tell you from watching them, once you mess up your kids, you can't undo it later.
It is the misery that only gets more miserable as life spins forward. If you don't want to raise your own kids right, then get ready to raise your grandkids. Make plans for crying all night about the things your teens and your adult children do to themselves and others. Spruce up your speech for the courtroom custody battles and the parole board. You're going to need them.
With children, it's ignore now, pay forever.