For some children, who are part of a family where God plays an important role, they
already have the advantage of knowing about Him.

For other children, where God is entirely absent from family life, they won't know about Him.

And still for others, whose family members are lukewarm about any type of spiritual presence, the children really don't know whether God exists or doesn't exist.

As adults, we can either do something about this, or ignore it. The choice is that simple.

I was on a cruise recently on which I had a fabulous time. On the last day, I was sitting in the lounge thinking about the cruise, and my thoughts turned to three adventure books I had written about children getting to know God. The books are about three teenagers who fall head-long into exciting adventures. An ostrich, a tiger and a bald eagle, accompany the children as guardians. These animals are far from ordinary. They are angels, who cause mayhem, disbelief and chaos as they stay firmly by Kate, James and Amanda. What a wonderful analogy, I thought-those children and this cruise. Let me explain.

Throughout the books, it is suggested, very subtly, how much a young person can benefit from believing in God, who is always there for them although they can never see Him.

Cruise travel has moved on since I was last at sea, but what has not moved on is the reliance and trust we place in the captain of the ship. Our complete past, present and future is in the hands of the ship's captain. We believe that everything will be just fine, in spite of the remote possibility of serious problems-especially in bad weather when there is very limited control even for the captain of the ship. This trust has developed because there has been little evidence of major sea disasters involving large passenger ships, except in the most extreme circumstances. This is largely due to incredibly advanced technology.

We therefore board the ship with the confidence and assurance that the journey will go according to plan. The captain will steer the ship; he will ensure that every need or want of the passengers is met by the crew.

For the captain of the ship, the buck stops with him. His ship, crew and passengers are his responsibility. No matter what anyone else is doing, he, or his designate, will be at the helm 24/7. The position of captain of a ship and the response of the passengers to the rules and regulations in force, is called discipline. If passengers do not

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