OK, I don’t like reading books...especially, any type of how-to book. Having said that, I still thought I should read this book: “Going Public: Your Child Can Thrive in Public School”, by David & Kelli Pritchard, big Young Life parents of eight.
The book is a quick read. The basic premise is this: everyone should homeschool….whether you kids are in public school, private school, or at home. I am no writer and am not at good at summing up things, so my apologies for some of the broken thoughts and points….you’ll get the gist of it if you read it.
So, they say there are two ways to keep children from drowning: 1) teach them to swim or 2) stay out of the water. They say, it is better to equip children for life. They believe sending a child to something other than a public school gives the parents a false sense of control. Public school calls the parents to be involved. When adults care and are actively involved in their communities, their children do better in school. Fearing the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. It is a starting point which means to revere Him. Rather than just deciding, ask God what He wants your child to do. Pray. The Bible teaches spiritual lessons not about education. God is bigger than public school.
The most important thing is to teach your child to love God with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength. We must infuse this through our daily life, otherwise it is meaningless. You must intentionally rub up against others. Teach kids to obey parents unconditionally. This is a heart issue. Don’t exasperate them. Teach self-control for dealing with unfair circumstances. Self control, wholehearted love for God, and submission to obedience are the most important gifts to give out children.
When you get into disagreements with other parents, be civill. How can you invite folks to church when you are rude to them. When people disagree, get to the facts, not attacks. Blessed are the peacemakers. Let your gentleness be evident. The Lord is near to all. Phil 4:5. Submt to school authority and respond maturely. Don’t be an adult behaving badly.
Incidents with your kids will happen. They are not always preventable, no matter how hard you try. You decide: they will either lead to a reaction or a teachable moment. These moments are intended to further growth and mature you child. There is pressure for us to grow, too. Face it head on.
Parents haunted by bad memories often stay out of schools. They also worry about hours lost at public school, but you still control the majority of wake hours! Parents should be at school. Participate, dads, too. Help. Be a friend to the staff. That will make the experience better that way when you do meet with teachers, you can focus on your child’s character, attitude, response to authority, compassion, and leadership, and let go of all your other hang-ups.
Like I said earlier, the authors say everybody should homeschool….public or private school is no excuse for not teaching your kids. Make sure you address these areas at a minimum: biblical worldview, creation, sexuality, American heritage, and spiritual life. You will have to sacrifice your time to make a difference.
To do public school well, there needs to be one stay at home parent. Single parents need the support of the church and neighborhood. This is hard, and a sacrifice.
Men have to stop placing so much emphasis on work, and participate! Be the leader at home on education topics. Men should live in the light and help children guard their hearts. The man should be the biblical authority.
This is the closest mission field you may ever encounter. The child’s role is to be a good student, good citizen, servant leader…to model what Christianity actually is. They are not evangelists. This is the role of the parents and kids. This is a family mission. Teachers, parents, students are your mission field.
So, don’t forget. God is in charge of everything….including public school. He is sovereign. Satan wins when we let fear overcome us. My God is big! In my efforts to protect my family, am I guilty of trying to control and preserve my life and live in a safe world? Do I have a false sense of control? Is it an illusion that my kids have not been exposed to something that I am not aware of? So, is this what God intended for me? Is that what He intended for my children? No! Do I trust Him? That is the question.
The end of the book contains sections written by the kids. They do a great job showing us how they have turned out and what they are becoming. Testimonies say it better than anything else. Plenty of kids from all education backgrounds have gone bad. At the end of the day, I must love my children and I show them that love by equipping them for life.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Leading Where You Are
Some Thoughts
This last week, had the opportunity to attend a conference hosted by Willowcreek Community Church called Lead Where You Are. It was mainly great towards church leaders an staffers, but there was plenty of application for anyone in leadership positions both in ministry and business.
The content was filled with speakers from breakthrough churches and leaders of ministries that were making a difference in the darkest part of the international world. Some of my favorites were the following:
Bill Hybels, Willowcreek Commmunity Church
He says decisions are often made by aking four questions:
1) Does the Bible say anything about it?
2) What would smart advisers say?
3) What do my pains, gains, and experiences teach me?
4) Is the Spirit prompting/ Does it lead to life & peace?
But he says, don’t stop there, use axioms (sayings or quotes) that have been informed and tested to guide you. Examples: ”this is church!”, “get the right people round the table”, “facts are your friends”
Gary Haugen, International Justice Mission
He asked the question: “Are Jesus and I interested in the same thing?” God’s passion is for the world. Some question if God is good, and ask for God’s plan. We are the plan, and there is no other plan!
He said we should lead in the things that matter to God. We often choose ministries that are cheerful, safe, and easy. Often, we are needed in the places that are hopeless, scary, and hard! Focus on God and His plan. Jesus came to make us brave, not safe. Pursue spiritual health, excellence, and joy.
Craig Groeschel, Lifechurch.tv
Some churches have “IT”, and others don’t. We need to do these things:
1) Stay lazer focused on our goals
2) See opportunity when others see obstacles
3) Be willing to fail – don’t play it safe
4) Have IT, your team should have IT
He shared a Franciscan prayer that goes like this:
May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships, so that you may live deep within your heart.
May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.
May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, and war, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain in to joy.
And may God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done.
Catherine Rohr, Prison Entrepeneurship Program
She gave up everything to minister to these prisoners.
Risk everything for the calling.
We are ok with old school murderers, but not todays.
God is passionate, He is responsible (feeding 5,000).
Wow them.
Don’t be satisfied in the visitors center!
So......
In my ministries, I sometimes tend to take the safer road since I am diplomatic in nature, but that is not always best. I need to be driven to prayer by the overwhelming the nature of the things I am taking on. I am not there yet.
This last week, had the opportunity to attend a conference hosted by Willowcreek Community Church called Lead Where You Are. It was mainly great towards church leaders an staffers, but there was plenty of application for anyone in leadership positions both in ministry and business.
The content was filled with speakers from breakthrough churches and leaders of ministries that were making a difference in the darkest part of the international world. Some of my favorites were the following:
Bill Hybels, Willowcreek Commmunity Church
He says decisions are often made by aking four questions:
1) Does the Bible say anything about it?
2) What would smart advisers say?
3) What do my pains, gains, and experiences teach me?
4) Is the Spirit prompting/ Does it lead to life & peace?
But he says, don’t stop there, use axioms (sayings or quotes) that have been informed and tested to guide you. Examples: ”this is church!”, “get the right people round the table”, “facts are your friends”
Gary Haugen, International Justice Mission
He asked the question: “Are Jesus and I interested in the same thing?” God’s passion is for the world. Some question if God is good, and ask for God’s plan. We are the plan, and there is no other plan!
He said we should lead in the things that matter to God. We often choose ministries that are cheerful, safe, and easy. Often, we are needed in the places that are hopeless, scary, and hard! Focus on God and His plan. Jesus came to make us brave, not safe. Pursue spiritual health, excellence, and joy.
Craig Groeschel, Lifechurch.tv
Some churches have “IT”, and others don’t. We need to do these things:
1) Stay lazer focused on our goals
2) See opportunity when others see obstacles
3) Be willing to fail – don’t play it safe
4) Have IT, your team should have IT
He shared a Franciscan prayer that goes like this:
May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships, so that you may live deep within your heart.
May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.
May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, and war, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain in to joy.
And may God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done.
Catherine Rohr, Prison Entrepeneurship Program
She gave up everything to minister to these prisoners.
Risk everything for the calling.
We are ok with old school murderers, but not todays.
God is passionate, He is responsible (feeding 5,000).
Wow them.
Don’t be satisfied in the visitors center!
So......
In my ministries, I sometimes tend to take the safer road since I am diplomatic in nature, but that is not always best. I need to be driven to prayer by the overwhelming the nature of the things I am taking on. I am not there yet.
In the Beginning
So, this is a blog. I don't really desire to put all my life on the internet, but this is a good tool for writing thoughts down. I start and lose journals, so this seems like a good place to start. I don't expect a lot of great insights to be searched for and found here. If you read this, you may find out a little more about something or me.
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