First Thoughts: We don't want to use this passage in Mark as a way of frightening the children, and I don't think it's really necessary to do so to get the message across. The warning Jesus is giving to the disciples, really, is that they keep their focus on God, even when things work to distract them. The images given to us in the scripture include falling temples and false messiahs -- all of which invoke feelings of fear and uncertainty. We become disoriented when we experience fear this way. We begin to think that this present chaos is the real truth and our faith is the fantasy.
