Do you remember Alice? No, not the one that worked at Mel’s Diner. I’m talking about the little girl that fell into the rabbit hole in Lewis Carrols’ most famous story. Okay, if you’re like me then you probably don’t know much about it because we’re males and we don’t read stories like that. But maybe you saw the Disney movie. Either way, I have heard that somewhere in the story Alice has a short, although profound, dialogue with a large smiling cat. It went like this…
Alice: Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?
The Cat: That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.
Alice: I don't much care where.
The Cat: Then it doesn't much matter which way you go.
The Cat is right, and is not just speaking to Alice but to you and I as well. As fathers, God has given to us the humbling privilege to lead our homes and our homeschools. He has placed in our hands the duty to direct and disciple our wives and our children.
So where am I going? Actually, the question is much more specific than that. It is Alice’s question. At the beginning of this new “school year” which way should I go? We must all ask ourselves this question. The answer is one of vision. It does indeed depend a good deal on where I want to get to but, more than that, it depends on where does God want my wife and children “to get to”? What is His vision for my family? Have I sought it out? I must ask all of these questions of myself, as must you. In the midst of asking and answering these questions I find many wonderful truths.
The first is that God does have a plan, a vision, for my family. I don’t have to make this stuff up and try to lead my family by my own wisdom and ingenuity. This truth is wonderfully reassuring for if it were up to me my family would be falling into large holes like that poor little girl!
Second, it is God’s vision for my family. In other words, God’s vision is different for every family. Every family is unique, each one has different needs. We do not all need to look alike. There is a wondrous beauty in this because then we do not have to judge ourselves by what other families are doing. Usually all that comparing ourselves with others will bring us is a lot of condemnation. But God’s vision for your family is different than His vision for my family and from the Johnsons down the street.
So how do we get this vision and begin to implement it in our homes? I have found a few steps helpful in my journey.
Begin by seeking God for a family vision statement. For what reason does your family exist? Your family was ordained from all eternity by the perfect and all-wise counsel of God. He had a purpose in creating it, so what is that purpose? A vision statement will help you to clarify what it is you are striving for. To give you an example, my family’s vision statement is, “The Churchill’s are a family striving together to live as the people of God, through the instruction of the Word of God, for many generations.” I have heard vision statements that are much briefer than this, and others that are much more detailed. Some families simply use a Bible verse that is very meaningful to them. Again, it is what works for you, and it is God’s vision for your family.
Next, seek out what your short term goals are for each member of your family in light of this vision. Ask yourself, “What are the spiritual goals I want my children to attain this school year?” “What are the academic goals?” Each answer will be unique to your child, but it gives you something to measure their growth by and helps you to know if they are growing in the way God wants them to. In my home the academics is merely one of many ways of developing the spiritual goals. We teach what we teach in order to develop their character and to help them to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.
And most important, establish a time that the family gets together to worship God and learn from His Word. For my family we do a devotional and read from God’s Word at the dinner table. Then we discuss what we have read and attempt to apply it to what we learned throughout the day (whether during homeschool or at work). This seems to be what works best for us, yet I have been with many families as they worship God, and every one of them is different. The point though, is that each of them set aside a time to learn God’s truths together and to honor Him as a family unit.
These are three steps that have helped me in this great privilege of leading my family. I hope they are helpful to you. Just remember, God loves you and your family, and gave you everyone in your family out of His’ perfectly wise and loving counsel! Praise God!
Showing posts with label Homeschooling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Homeschooling. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Some May Trust in Horses...
Some may trust in horses, some may trust in chariots but we will trust… in homeschooling. “Okay, so that’s not how the verse goes. It really ends with “but we will trust in our curriculums.” No? How about, “But we will trust in our formulas”? Hmmm. “Rules?”
What exactly do we trust in? If you are anything like me then you (or I) am always looking for the silver bullet. You know, that thing that will guarantee my desired outcome for my children, my marriage, my relationship with God, my job, my (put whatever you want here). I want the quick fix, the ‘this is how you do it’ formula that, if I carry it out to the letter, assures me of the result I want. We do it in almost everything, don’t we? If I can only find the right history curriculum (I think we’re on our third now, and looking for a fourth) then my children will have a biblical view of the world. If only there were a certain type of math, literature, science, or Bible curriculum. We just want something we know will give our children a biblical worldview. No, let me rephrase that. We all want something we know will make our children Christians.
This isn’t limited to just curriculum. It’s in everything we do. If I only keep them from this TV program or from watching certain kinds of movies, or playing video games or certain types of music. Maybe if we go to a certain kind of church or keep them from certain kinds of kids, then my kids will come out the way I want them to be.
You see, we are all legalists at heart. Just like the Israelites, we acquire a set of laws or rules and then think that we can do it ourselves. We think we can attain godliness or at least achieve it in our children through certain prescribed methods or practices. Israel thought the same way. Though the law was never given to them so that they could earn salvation, they took certain practices and Scriptures and turned them into the formula for “godliness” and salvation. But the law could not save then, nor can tradition or a particular lifestyle save our children today. The truth is that there is no Christian panacea. There is only One that can save our children and give them correct worldviews and morals and Christian virtues: Jesus Christ.
We must trust and depend on Him to do this. We must trust and depend on Him to open their eyes and give them understanding. We must trust and depend on Him because it is what we are supposed to do. Anything else is idolatry. The point of the law was for the Israelites to trust and depend on God, not themselves! The Christian life is all about this one thing: trusting and depending on God in Jesus Christ. We must trust Him for our salvation and our children’s. We must trust Him for our daily food and for our intellect and for the sun. When we disciple (school) our children both the goal and the means to the goal are the same, and that is to trust in God.
I write this because I know my own propensity to lock myself into trusting just about everything but God, especially as a homeschooler. I have to realize that just because something worked one day that it doesn’t mean that I then trust it instead of God. We should not homeschool because it’s “the proven method”, but because we trust in God. Homeschooling works not because it is homeschooling but because of the sheer grace and power of God. “Some may trust in horses, some may trust in chariots, but we will trust in the name of the LORD our God!”
What exactly do we trust in? If you are anything like me then you (or I) am always looking for the silver bullet. You know, that thing that will guarantee my desired outcome for my children, my marriage, my relationship with God, my job, my (put whatever you want here). I want the quick fix, the ‘this is how you do it’ formula that, if I carry it out to the letter, assures me of the result I want. We do it in almost everything, don’t we? If I can only find the right history curriculum (I think we’re on our third now, and looking for a fourth) then my children will have a biblical view of the world. If only there were a certain type of math, literature, science, or Bible curriculum. We just want something we know will give our children a biblical worldview. No, let me rephrase that. We all want something we know will make our children Christians.
This isn’t limited to just curriculum. It’s in everything we do. If I only keep them from this TV program or from watching certain kinds of movies, or playing video games or certain types of music. Maybe if we go to a certain kind of church or keep them from certain kinds of kids, then my kids will come out the way I want them to be.
You see, we are all legalists at heart. Just like the Israelites, we acquire a set of laws or rules and then think that we can do it ourselves. We think we can attain godliness or at least achieve it in our children through certain prescribed methods or practices. Israel thought the same way. Though the law was never given to them so that they could earn salvation, they took certain practices and Scriptures and turned them into the formula for “godliness” and salvation. But the law could not save then, nor can tradition or a particular lifestyle save our children today. The truth is that there is no Christian panacea. There is only One that can save our children and give them correct worldviews and morals and Christian virtues: Jesus Christ.
We must trust and depend on Him to do this. We must trust and depend on Him to open their eyes and give them understanding. We must trust and depend on Him because it is what we are supposed to do. Anything else is idolatry. The point of the law was for the Israelites to trust and depend on God, not themselves! The Christian life is all about this one thing: trusting and depending on God in Jesus Christ. We must trust Him for our salvation and our children’s. We must trust Him for our daily food and for our intellect and for the sun. When we disciple (school) our children both the goal and the means to the goal are the same, and that is to trust in God.
I write this because I know my own propensity to lock myself into trusting just about everything but God, especially as a homeschooler. I have to realize that just because something worked one day that it doesn’t mean that I then trust it instead of God. We should not homeschool because it’s “the proven method”, but because we trust in God. Homeschooling works not because it is homeschooling but because of the sheer grace and power of God. “Some may trust in horses, some may trust in chariots, but we will trust in the name of the LORD our God!”
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Homeschooling and the Resurrection
Over the past few weeks I have been given the opportunity to work alongside a Jehovah’s Witness. You can probably imagine the conversations we have engaged in during this time. Several of our talks have revolved around celebrating holidays, including Easter. For those of you that are unaware, Jehovah’s Witnesses do not celebrate holidays, including Easter. The reasons that my friend gave me for their abstaining from these celebrations were many, including that the days were originally pagan holidays and that they are full of pagan traditions. “Why, as a Christian, would I want to celebrate these things?” he asked. I responded, “Why, as a Christian, would I not want to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ?” The “Easter” holiday can be filled with many non-Christian concepts, if we allow it to. Yet, it can also be the most meaningful celebration of the year for us and our families if our focus is on the right things.
As homeschoolers we are attempting to disciple our children in the ways of the LORD. We are doing this through educating them in many different subjects and tying all of these subjects into the grand theme of Christianity. Well, Christianity is about the three days that we usually celebrate around the Easter weekend each year. In my home we make a big deal about the entire weekend because I believe that the events we are celebrating are the most important events in all of history. In fact, all of history centers on these events. Everything that ever happened before these three days pointed forward to them, and every moment since then points back at them. These three days are the climax of history, and not only history but also of science, of math, of literature, of thought. The very meaning of our existence is to glorify and enjoy God, yet this cannot be done apart from belief and trust in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This, therefore, is the unifying factor of all education, or at least it should be. Every subject is meant to point us to trusting in the Creator and Savior of all things: Jesus Christ. After all, what good is a knowledge of math apart from relationship with its Creator, and how can one have a saving relationship with math’s Creator apart from the crucifixion and resurrection? Science is the study and enjoyment of creation, but what good is the enjoyment of creation if our ultimate enjoyment is not found in creation’s Creator, which comes by way of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ? All of creation is given to us that we might make much of the Creator, that we would worship Him, yet for us to be able to do so me must go through the Way, Jesus Christ and him crucified. As Paul taught, “For I resolved not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”(1 Cor 2:2) It doesn’t mean he didn’t know anything else, but that this truth was the unifying factor of everything else he knew. Its what gave everything else meaning and was the ultimate purpose of all that he did. No wonder he proclaimed, “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Gal 6:14)
This Easter season let us be reminded that the events which we celebrate are what bring meaning to homeschooling. As we commemorate Easter lets remember its centrality to our curriculum, to how we teach and what we teach, and ever glorify the wisdom and power of God displayed in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
As homeschoolers we are attempting to disciple our children in the ways of the LORD. We are doing this through educating them in many different subjects and tying all of these subjects into the grand theme of Christianity. Well, Christianity is about the three days that we usually celebrate around the Easter weekend each year. In my home we make a big deal about the entire weekend because I believe that the events we are celebrating are the most important events in all of history. In fact, all of history centers on these events. Everything that ever happened before these three days pointed forward to them, and every moment since then points back at them. These three days are the climax of history, and not only history but also of science, of math, of literature, of thought. The very meaning of our existence is to glorify and enjoy God, yet this cannot be done apart from belief and trust in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This, therefore, is the unifying factor of all education, or at least it should be. Every subject is meant to point us to trusting in the Creator and Savior of all things: Jesus Christ. After all, what good is a knowledge of math apart from relationship with its Creator, and how can one have a saving relationship with math’s Creator apart from the crucifixion and resurrection? Science is the study and enjoyment of creation, but what good is the enjoyment of creation if our ultimate enjoyment is not found in creation’s Creator, which comes by way of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ? All of creation is given to us that we might make much of the Creator, that we would worship Him, yet for us to be able to do so me must go through the Way, Jesus Christ and him crucified. As Paul taught, “For I resolved not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”(1 Cor 2:2) It doesn’t mean he didn’t know anything else, but that this truth was the unifying factor of everything else he knew. Its what gave everything else meaning and was the ultimate purpose of all that he did. No wonder he proclaimed, “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Gal 6:14)
This Easter season let us be reminded that the events which we celebrate are what bring meaning to homeschooling. As we commemorate Easter lets remember its centrality to our curriculum, to how we teach and what we teach, and ever glorify the wisdom and power of God displayed in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
First Things First
The story is told of Muhammed Ali that once, during the prime of his career, he was taking a flight over the Atlantic Ocean. During the flight the plane encountered some turbulence and the seatbelt lights came on. Everyone returned to their seats except for Ali, who continued to walk around the plane. A small female stewardess approached him and said, “Sir, you need to return to your seat and put on your seat belt for safety.” Ali, in his inimitable style, replied “Superman don’t need no seat belt!” To which the petite stewardess responded, “Superman don’t need no airplane either, so sit down and get buckled!”
I have only flown overseas one time in my life, and that when I was much younger, but I have heard it said that during the preflight safety instructions that are given to all the passengers that there are some specific instructions given to passengers flying with children. One of these instructions is that if the plane depressurizes and the oxygen masks are deployed, that the adult is to place their oxygen mask on themselves before attempting to help anyone else put theirs on, even their own children! I was shocked! I know I can go without oxygen for longer than my kids. They need it more than I do. That is our paternal instinct, to give to them first. Yet when I heard the explanation as to why this is done, it all made sense. You see, those little ones are dependent upon you and if you run out of oxygen then neither you nor they will get any oxygen in the end. You must be able to breathe and think coherently in order to help them breathe. They are helpless without you and you are helpless without oxygen, so therefore you must first get air in order to rightly care for them.
As homeschooling fathers, we have undoubtedly read the words of Deuteronomy 6 on how we are to raise our children. Most of us can probably even recite some of the words. “Teach them to your children when you sit at home, when you walk along the road…”. But what immediately precedes these instructions on teaching Gods Word to our children? Here is the passage:
“Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”
What immediately precedes how we are to teach our children is the admonition that first, we must love and worship the Lord ourselves. First, we must breathe. We are to love God with all of our heart and soul and strength. We are to impress his commandments upon our hearts first. It becomes very easy to replace our own relationship with God with our children’s relationship with God. We put our efforts into seeing where they are, into leading them to God and yet we often neglect our own relationship with Him. We often judge how well we are doing in our relationship with God by looking at our children’s relationship with Him, We mistake this for personal closeness when in reality we are ignoring our own relationship and never giving full weight to our closeness with God.
Perhaps the largest stumbling block in my own life has been to make my children into idols, in the sense that I work so diligently and think so often about where they are heading and yet neglect my own relationship with God Himself. In essence, I am starving myself of oxygen. How can my children truly worship God if I am not? Men, our most important practice in life is worshipping God. It is what we were made for. We must grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ because He is our God and we are His people. First we must strive to love Him with all of our heart and soul and mind and strength because He is our Savior. When this is done then we will naturally teach and manifest to our children the true love of God.
I have only flown overseas one time in my life, and that when I was much younger, but I have heard it said that during the preflight safety instructions that are given to all the passengers that there are some specific instructions given to passengers flying with children. One of these instructions is that if the plane depressurizes and the oxygen masks are deployed, that the adult is to place their oxygen mask on themselves before attempting to help anyone else put theirs on, even their own children! I was shocked! I know I can go without oxygen for longer than my kids. They need it more than I do. That is our paternal instinct, to give to them first. Yet when I heard the explanation as to why this is done, it all made sense. You see, those little ones are dependent upon you and if you run out of oxygen then neither you nor they will get any oxygen in the end. You must be able to breathe and think coherently in order to help them breathe. They are helpless without you and you are helpless without oxygen, so therefore you must first get air in order to rightly care for them.
As homeschooling fathers, we have undoubtedly read the words of Deuteronomy 6 on how we are to raise our children. Most of us can probably even recite some of the words. “Teach them to your children when you sit at home, when you walk along the road…”. But what immediately precedes these instructions on teaching Gods Word to our children? Here is the passage:
“Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”
What immediately precedes how we are to teach our children is the admonition that first, we must love and worship the Lord ourselves. First, we must breathe. We are to love God with all of our heart and soul and strength. We are to impress his commandments upon our hearts first. It becomes very easy to replace our own relationship with God with our children’s relationship with God. We put our efforts into seeing where they are, into leading them to God and yet we often neglect our own relationship with Him. We often judge how well we are doing in our relationship with God by looking at our children’s relationship with Him, We mistake this for personal closeness when in reality we are ignoring our own relationship and never giving full weight to our closeness with God.
Perhaps the largest stumbling block in my own life has been to make my children into idols, in the sense that I work so diligently and think so often about where they are heading and yet neglect my own relationship with God Himself. In essence, I am starving myself of oxygen. How can my children truly worship God if I am not? Men, our most important practice in life is worshipping God. It is what we were made for. We must grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ because He is our God and we are His people. First we must strive to love Him with all of our heart and soul and mind and strength because He is our Savior. When this is done then we will naturally teach and manifest to our children the true love of God.
Christmas Gifts
What is the measure of the goodness of a gift? How do we assess the value or goodness of the gifts that we give and are given? Is it the amount of money spent on the gift? Is it the amount of thought put into the gift? Is it the amount of time exhausted in the making or acquiring of the gift? Is it in how much the recipient wanted the gift? Is it how much time they will spend using it? All of these are factors but none of them determine the true value of a gift.
In the movie The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe there is a scene where Peter, Susan and Lucy meet Father Christmas. As they finish their time together Father Christmas gives each of them gifts, but the gifts seemed to me very unusual. He gives Lucy a dagger and a healing potion, Susan a bow and arrow and Peter a sword. These are probably not the gifts they were expecting from Father Christmas. Maybe the newest Barbie or a CD player, a Playstation or the latest thing to enter the market is what they were thinking and what they wanted. But he gives them these gifts. Why? Because these gifts were extremely useful in their love for and service to Aslan. They were gifts that equipped and aided them in making much of their King.
The true value of a gift is measured by how much that gift will help and support the recipient in making much of our King, Jesus Christ, forever. That, after all, is the highest, the greatest good and most valuable end in the entire world. When we think of the greatest gift ever given, what do we think of? The death of Christ. And what was the goal of this gift? “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” (I Pet 3:18) The ultimate goal of this most precious above all gifts was “to bring us to God”. So, too, with our gifts.
So what are these gifts? Are they swords and daggers? Maybe, maybe not. I did hear of something that we can give (and receive) that is so valuable that its “proceeds are better than the profits of silver, and her gain than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies, and all the things you may desire cannot compare with her. Length of days is in her right hand, in her left hand riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, and happy are all who retain her.” Sadly, we can’t run down to the nearest Stuff-Mart or Get-a-Lot to buy her. On the bright side, with prayer we can buy gifts that either contain her or at least can impart a lot of her. She, of course, is wisdom.
As I examine Scripture it is apparent that wisdom is the most useful asset for bringing people to God. It is, therefore, the most important asset for life and we are implored to get it and to give it to our wives and children. “Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; love her, and she will keep you. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.” (Prov. 4:5-7)
So how? And what? Well, we must first know what aspects of wisdom we are most wanting our children to obtain, and then pick gifts that will develop this area of wisdom through engaging each child’s unique characteristics, thus developing them into godly adults. Therefore, gift giving will be different for everyone, but the key, in the end, is that our giving of gifts be a bestowal of wisdom, an imparting of the fear and love of God. These are the most valuable gifts of all.
In the movie The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe there is a scene where Peter, Susan and Lucy meet Father Christmas. As they finish their time together Father Christmas gives each of them gifts, but the gifts seemed to me very unusual. He gives Lucy a dagger and a healing potion, Susan a bow and arrow and Peter a sword. These are probably not the gifts they were expecting from Father Christmas. Maybe the newest Barbie or a CD player, a Playstation or the latest thing to enter the market is what they were thinking and what they wanted. But he gives them these gifts. Why? Because these gifts were extremely useful in their love for and service to Aslan. They were gifts that equipped and aided them in making much of their King.
The true value of a gift is measured by how much that gift will help and support the recipient in making much of our King, Jesus Christ, forever. That, after all, is the highest, the greatest good and most valuable end in the entire world. When we think of the greatest gift ever given, what do we think of? The death of Christ. And what was the goal of this gift? “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” (I Pet 3:18) The ultimate goal of this most precious above all gifts was “to bring us to God”. So, too, with our gifts.
So what are these gifts? Are they swords and daggers? Maybe, maybe not. I did hear of something that we can give (and receive) that is so valuable that its “proceeds are better than the profits of silver, and her gain than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies, and all the things you may desire cannot compare with her. Length of days is in her right hand, in her left hand riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, and happy are all who retain her.” Sadly, we can’t run down to the nearest Stuff-Mart or Get-a-Lot to buy her. On the bright side, with prayer we can buy gifts that either contain her or at least can impart a lot of her. She, of course, is wisdom.
As I examine Scripture it is apparent that wisdom is the most useful asset for bringing people to God. It is, therefore, the most important asset for life and we are implored to get it and to give it to our wives and children. “Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; love her, and she will keep you. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.” (Prov. 4:5-7)
So how? And what? Well, we must first know what aspects of wisdom we are most wanting our children to obtain, and then pick gifts that will develop this area of wisdom through engaging each child’s unique characteristics, thus developing them into godly adults. Therefore, gift giving will be different for everyone, but the key, in the end, is that our giving of gifts be a bestowal of wisdom, an imparting of the fear and love of God. These are the most valuable gifts of all.
A Key Ingredient
Candy, glorious candy. As a child there were few things that ranked higher on my list of “things to do” than to eat candy. I remember vividly on one occasion I was rummaging through the kitchen drawers and cupboards when I saw, in the baking drawer, an entire bar of chocolate. I couldn’t believe my eyes! Being as wise as I was, I thought it best not to eat the chocolate bar right away, for my parents might be using it to make something for dinner during the week. So I sat back (rather impatiently) and waited. Days went by and then a couple of weeks. What fortune! They had forgotten about the candy bar in the drawer! I couldn’t just leave it there to go bad, so one day when I was craving something sweet I decided to put the chocolate bar out of its misery. Oh, how I carefully unwrapped it, savoring each tear of the packaging, I broke off the first chunk of chocolate goodness and delicately put it into my mouth…
Have you ever tasted unsweetened chocolate? ..........If you haven’t, then take my advice and don’t. It’s…well, it’s…not good. Why? Well, it isn’t because it’s not chocolate, because it is. The problem with unsweetened chocolate is that it is missing a key ingredient, without which it is truly dissatisfying and altogether disappointing.
The point is this, you can have everything it takes to make something wonderful, but if you leave out one key ingredient it might turn into something “not good”.
The same is true of homeschooling. There are thousands of households around Colorado and the nation that are homeschooling but many of these families are missing one of the key ingredients to make it a successful homeschool:FATHERS; fathers that are an active part of the discipleship of their children. Moms are doing a fantastic job of teaching their children and instructing them in righteousness, but if fathers are not a part of this instruction then the children in that home are missing a vital piece of their training. God has clearly stated in His Word that fathers are to play a major role in the discipleship of children, that they are to be the prophets (those who communicate God’s Word) of their homes, and that the father playing this role is a key ingredient to the success of those children.
So are you? I’m not asking if you come home every night, or if you even eat dinner with your family. These are great, but just being physically present is not enough. Are you spending time interacting with your children? What does this interaction look like? It could be spending 15 minutes doing math or grammar with the kids or reading a book to them. The practical outworking of this is different for everyone but what is common is that time is being spent connecting with your children, discussing with them the things that they are learning, asking them questions and teaching them the truth of God. The hours spent between the time you get home and the time your children go to bed are the most important hours of the homeschool day. How are they being spent?
Have you ever tasted unsweetened chocolate? ..........If you haven’t, then take my advice and don’t. It’s…well, it’s…not good. Why? Well, it isn’t because it’s not chocolate, because it is. The problem with unsweetened chocolate is that it is missing a key ingredient, without which it is truly dissatisfying and altogether disappointing.
The point is this, you can have everything it takes to make something wonderful, but if you leave out one key ingredient it might turn into something “not good”.
The same is true of homeschooling. There are thousands of households around Colorado and the nation that are homeschooling but many of these families are missing one of the key ingredients to make it a successful homeschool:FATHERS; fathers that are an active part of the discipleship of their children. Moms are doing a fantastic job of teaching their children and instructing them in righteousness, but if fathers are not a part of this instruction then the children in that home are missing a vital piece of their training. God has clearly stated in His Word that fathers are to play a major role in the discipleship of children, that they are to be the prophets (those who communicate God’s Word) of their homes, and that the father playing this role is a key ingredient to the success of those children.
So are you? I’m not asking if you come home every night, or if you even eat dinner with your family. These are great, but just being physically present is not enough. Are you spending time interacting with your children? What does this interaction look like? It could be spending 15 minutes doing math or grammar with the kids or reading a book to them. The practical outworking of this is different for everyone but what is common is that time is being spent connecting with your children, discussing with them the things that they are learning, asking them questions and teaching them the truth of God. The hours spent between the time you get home and the time your children go to bed are the most important hours of the homeschool day. How are they being spent?
Goals
I recently read a letter written many years ago from a father to his children. The words are striking, convicting and, most of all, inspiring. I share some of them with you here.
“You cannot doubt, my children, that your parents love you. In all your recollections, we have a witness to this. We have, as you know, done everything to promote your welfare, and so far as was compatible with this object, your pleasure also. We have never denied you a gratification which our duty and ability allowed us to impart; and if at any time we have been severe in reproof, even this was an awful form of love. We have spared no expense in your education: in short, love, an intense love... has been the secret spring of all our conduct towards you; and, as the strongest proof and purest effort of our affection, we wish you to be partakers of true piety.
…Genuine love desires and seeks for the objects on which it is fixed the greatest benefits of which they are capable; and as you have the capacity to serve, and enjoy and glorify God by true religion, how can we love you in reality, if we do not covet for you this high and holy distinction? We should feel that our love had exhausted itself upon trifles, and had let go objects of immense, infinite, eternal consequence, if it were not to concentrate all its prayers, desires, and efforts in your personal religion.
Almost every parent has some one object, which he desires, above all others, on behalf of his children. Some are anxious that their offspring may shine as warriors; others, that theirs may be surrounded with the milder radiance of literary, scientific, and commercial fame. Our supreme ambition for you is, that whatever situation you occupy, you may adorn it with the beauties of holiness, and may discharge its duties under the influence of Christian principles. Much as we desire your respectability in life, yet we would rather see you in the most obscure, and even menial situation, provided you were partakers of true piety, than behold you on the loftiest pinnacle of the temple of fame, the objects of universal admiration, if, at the same time, your hearts were destitute of the fear of God....
You must be aware, my dear children, that all our conduct towards you has been conducted upon these principles. Before you were capable of receiving instruction, we presented ceaseless prayer to God for your personal piety. As soon as reason dawned, we poured the light of religious instruction upon your mind, by the aid of familiar poetry, catechisms, and conversation. How often have you retired with us, to become the subjects of our earnest supplications at the throne of grace! You have been witnesses of our agony for your eternal welfare. Have we not instructed, warned, admonished, encouraged you, as we laid open to your view the narrow path which leadeth to eternal life?” 1
What are the goals that we have set up in our home schools? What are the highest pursuits of our love for our children? True love for our children, and all true education, has as its ultimate end that we prepare and equip our children to be able to make much of Jesus Christ in word and deed.
1 John Angell James, The Christian Father’s Present to His Children
“You cannot doubt, my children, that your parents love you. In all your recollections, we have a witness to this. We have, as you know, done everything to promote your welfare, and so far as was compatible with this object, your pleasure also. We have never denied you a gratification which our duty and ability allowed us to impart; and if at any time we have been severe in reproof, even this was an awful form of love. We have spared no expense in your education: in short, love, an intense love... has been the secret spring of all our conduct towards you; and, as the strongest proof and purest effort of our affection, we wish you to be partakers of true piety.
…Genuine love desires and seeks for the objects on which it is fixed the greatest benefits of which they are capable; and as you have the capacity to serve, and enjoy and glorify God by true religion, how can we love you in reality, if we do not covet for you this high and holy distinction? We should feel that our love had exhausted itself upon trifles, and had let go objects of immense, infinite, eternal consequence, if it were not to concentrate all its prayers, desires, and efforts in your personal religion.
Almost every parent has some one object, which he desires, above all others, on behalf of his children. Some are anxious that their offspring may shine as warriors; others, that theirs may be surrounded with the milder radiance of literary, scientific, and commercial fame. Our supreme ambition for you is, that whatever situation you occupy, you may adorn it with the beauties of holiness, and may discharge its duties under the influence of Christian principles. Much as we desire your respectability in life, yet we would rather see you in the most obscure, and even menial situation, provided you were partakers of true piety, than behold you on the loftiest pinnacle of the temple of fame, the objects of universal admiration, if, at the same time, your hearts were destitute of the fear of God....
You must be aware, my dear children, that all our conduct towards you has been conducted upon these principles. Before you were capable of receiving instruction, we presented ceaseless prayer to God for your personal piety. As soon as reason dawned, we poured the light of religious instruction upon your mind, by the aid of familiar poetry, catechisms, and conversation. How often have you retired with us, to become the subjects of our earnest supplications at the throne of grace! You have been witnesses of our agony for your eternal welfare. Have we not instructed, warned, admonished, encouraged you, as we laid open to your view the narrow path which leadeth to eternal life?” 1
What are the goals that we have set up in our home schools? What are the highest pursuits of our love for our children? True love for our children, and all true education, has as its ultimate end that we prepare and equip our children to be able to make much of Jesus Christ in word and deed.
1 John Angell James, The Christian Father’s Present to His Children
The #1 Subject
There were many subjects that we all learned in school, but, without a doubt, we all had our favorite subject, the one we looked forward to more than any other. Mine was math. That was the high point of the schooling day for me (other than recess, lunch, and going home). Even though we are “all grown-up” now, we probably haven’t changed much. I would bet we all still have our favorite subjects, the ones that we like to teach our children. I decided that in our homeschool I would teach…(you guessed it)… math. But as important as math is, this is not the most important time in school. Neither is history, nor science, nor English, and not even Bible.
There is a time in our home(school) that far outweighs any other: family worship. The high point of not only our homeschool, but the high point of our home, is the worship of God. Our children learn the acts of God (a.k.a. history) not just to have knowledge, but so that they might worship the God that has acted. Our children learn about the world that God has created (a.k.a. science) so that they will worship the God that created the world. So what could be more important, at the end of each day, as our families have learned all these things about God and His world, than to put flesh to this knowledge and to lead our families in the worship of the God that they have learned about?
Family worship is the time when the leader of the home brings all of those in the home together to say, “This is what today was about. We did what we did today, we learned what we learned today… so that we might make much of our King”. And then he bows his heart and worships at the feet of King Jesus. This is the leaders role. This is our role. We do not have to be a theologian, a philosopher or a mathematician. We do not have to have a complete knowledge of the Bible or have memorized the 23rd Psalm. All that is required for us to lead our families in this most-important of all activities is simple obedience. All we have to do is bow our heads and our hearts and worship a God Who loves us and our families more than we could ever know.
There is a time in our home(school) that far outweighs any other: family worship. The high point of not only our homeschool, but the high point of our home, is the worship of God. Our children learn the acts of God (a.k.a. history) not just to have knowledge, but so that they might worship the God that has acted. Our children learn about the world that God has created (a.k.a. science) so that they will worship the God that created the world. So what could be more important, at the end of each day, as our families have learned all these things about God and His world, than to put flesh to this knowledge and to lead our families in the worship of the God that they have learned about?
Family worship is the time when the leader of the home brings all of those in the home together to say, “This is what today was about. We did what we did today, we learned what we learned today… so that we might make much of our King”. And then he bows his heart and worships at the feet of King Jesus. This is the leaders role. This is our role. We do not have to be a theologian, a philosopher or a mathematician. We do not have to have a complete knowledge of the Bible or have memorized the 23rd Psalm. All that is required for us to lead our families in this most-important of all activities is simple obedience. All we have to do is bow our heads and our hearts and worship a God Who loves us and our families more than we could ever know.
At the Center
The hummingbird whistles by, searching for its food as the fire crackles in the brisk morning air. Dew gathers slowly on the pine needles, and the steam rises silently from the slow-moving river as the sun crests the horizon. I take in a deep, refreshing breath of the new mountain air as the kids begin their day scampering up and down the wooded hills and my wonderful wife begins a soon-to-be tasty breakfast. What is this about? It’s about God.
I love camping. Actually, I love camping with my family. I love the sounds, the smells, and the smiles. I love rafting down the Platte, sleeping in a tent, and roasting marshmallows by the fire. Why do I love these things? I love them because through them my heart fills with awe and appreciation for God.
Over the last several years I have encountered a wide spectrum of experiences. I have spent many weekends enjoying the outdoors with my family and many weekdays hanging sheet metal from ceilings. I have spent hours upon hours contemplating the preconditions of thought, science and morality and then turned around and taken in the beauty of a Pikes Peak sunset with my family close by my side. I have listened to the glorious songs of praise from beloved saints and run the bases during an evening softball game. In the midst of all of this came this realization: None of these wondrous things are ends in themselves. Not a one. Not nature, nor fire, not food, not even family. All of these things are means, means to an end: worshipping God. It’s all about God. All of these experiences are gifts, echoes of the Excellency of God, given to delight myself in the One who gave them. It is so easy to turn gifts into idols and make them the ultimate objects of our affection, but only when those things serve to draw us nearer to God do they become all that they were meant to be. They all serve to give our souls greater satisfaction in the only truly satisfying thing: God Himself.
All of life must always be to this end. All that we do with our families and in our homeschools must have this as its ultimate goal: That God would be the final and ultimate object of our affections. That is what it means to be God-centered. Everything that we do should add to the awe and hunger of people for God as His’ majesty is more fully revealed. This summer make it a point to enjoy your family, creation, and, most of all, the God that gave them to you.
Soli Deo Gloria!
I love camping. Actually, I love camping with my family. I love the sounds, the smells, and the smiles. I love rafting down the Platte, sleeping in a tent, and roasting marshmallows by the fire. Why do I love these things? I love them because through them my heart fills with awe and appreciation for God.
Over the last several years I have encountered a wide spectrum of experiences. I have spent many weekends enjoying the outdoors with my family and many weekdays hanging sheet metal from ceilings. I have spent hours upon hours contemplating the preconditions of thought, science and morality and then turned around and taken in the beauty of a Pikes Peak sunset with my family close by my side. I have listened to the glorious songs of praise from beloved saints and run the bases during an evening softball game. In the midst of all of this came this realization: None of these wondrous things are ends in themselves. Not a one. Not nature, nor fire, not food, not even family. All of these things are means, means to an end: worshipping God. It’s all about God. All of these experiences are gifts, echoes of the Excellency of God, given to delight myself in the One who gave them. It is so easy to turn gifts into idols and make them the ultimate objects of our affection, but only when those things serve to draw us nearer to God do they become all that they were meant to be. They all serve to give our souls greater satisfaction in the only truly satisfying thing: God Himself.
All of life must always be to this end. All that we do with our families and in our homeschools must have this as its ultimate goal: That God would be the final and ultimate object of our affections. That is what it means to be God-centered. Everything that we do should add to the awe and hunger of people for God as His’ majesty is more fully revealed. This summer make it a point to enjoy your family, creation, and, most of all, the God that gave them to you.
Soli Deo Gloria!
Christ in Christmas
I hope you and yours have a wonderful Christmas season with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ at the center of all of your activities. This will undoubtedly be another remarkable Christmas season. Remarkable in the sense that there will be many businesses and governmental institutions that will once again try to extricate Christ from Christmas as well as multitudes of Christians that will demand that we keep Him in.
I praise the Lord for the work that will be done this holiday season to return Christ to His rightful place in Christmas. As I pondered this work the thought occurred to me that perhaps the reason so many of us will rise up is because this is one of the last bastions for Christianity in a culture that has been secularized. I fear that the problem isn’t that the culture isn’t saying “Merry Christmas” or that the secularists are attempting to remove Christ from Christmas, but it’s the fact that they already have removed Christ from the rest of culture. America has already secularized most of reality, and so what’s left other than “holy days” like Christmas and Easter? From their viewpoint, if we as the Church have already surrendered Christ’s lordship over the rest of creation then at some point we will eventually yield on Christmas.
How have we surrendered to secularism everywhere else? By not proclaiming the Lordship of Christ over ALL things! Jesus is Lord of far more than Christmas and is the central focus of much more than a single holiday. Jesus is Lord of ALL, in him all things consist and find their meaning (Acts 17:28; Heb 1:3). But I have yet to hear the church rise up and proclaim “Keep Christ in Calculus!”, or to see a church billboard read: “Keep Christ in Chemistry”, or a Christian radio talk-show host declare, “Jesus is Lord of literature!”. Yet this is exactly what we have to do, and have not done. We need to shout it from the rooftops that Christ is the beginning of all wisdom and knowledge, (Col 2:2,3) that He is King over the entire universe and that Christ is as central to Calculus, Chemistry and Civics as He is to Christmas (Col 1:16,17).
Many years ago, before you and I were ever born, secularists like Rousseau, Voltaire and Dewey began to remove Christ from academia. Back then, when Christ was still understood to be central in all creation, they began the campaign to remove Christ from education, attempting to separate things created from their Creator. Well, needless to say, the church bought into it. We bought secularisms’ idea of “neutrality”, that there are subjects out there that are morally and religiously “neutral”. “Christ has nothing to do with math. You can know math apart from any mention of Christ”, said they…and we believed it! And then we began to parrot their words and train our children this way. Even now many homeschooling Christians teach their children subjects like math and English and many other subjects without any mention of Jesus. Yet, Jesus made math and language, science and government. If you believe the Bible then you must acknowledge that Christ is the reason not just for the season, but for everything that was, is or ever will be. He is the one that brings all things meaning, and all things were created by Him and for His glory (Prov. 16:4). How then can anything be religiously neutral or religiously free? It can’t. All things are by their very nature religious for these very reasons, and a right understanding and application of any and all subjects, holidays and events can only be found in reference to Christ.
So during this Christmas season let’s not just fight to keep Christmas, but let’s fight to recapture the territory that has been stolen. Let’s teach our children that through a simple mathematics equation or a complex calculus proof we can see the mind of God. Let’s teach them that history is the manifestation of God’s perfect providence. Let’s show them why science works, why logic is logical, and why the world operates in the manner that it does. Let’s proclaim to our dear little ones and to the world that “the earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains!” (I Cor 10:26). Let’s show the world that in Christ is hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge and that Christ is King of not only Christmas but of Civics, Chemistry and Calculus as well!
I praise the Lord for the work that will be done this holiday season to return Christ to His rightful place in Christmas. As I pondered this work the thought occurred to me that perhaps the reason so many of us will rise up is because this is one of the last bastions for Christianity in a culture that has been secularized. I fear that the problem isn’t that the culture isn’t saying “Merry Christmas” or that the secularists are attempting to remove Christ from Christmas, but it’s the fact that they already have removed Christ from the rest of culture. America has already secularized most of reality, and so what’s left other than “holy days” like Christmas and Easter? From their viewpoint, if we as the Church have already surrendered Christ’s lordship over the rest of creation then at some point we will eventually yield on Christmas.
How have we surrendered to secularism everywhere else? By not proclaiming the Lordship of Christ over ALL things! Jesus is Lord of far more than Christmas and is the central focus of much more than a single holiday. Jesus is Lord of ALL, in him all things consist and find their meaning (Acts 17:28; Heb 1:3). But I have yet to hear the church rise up and proclaim “Keep Christ in Calculus!”, or to see a church billboard read: “Keep Christ in Chemistry”, or a Christian radio talk-show host declare, “Jesus is Lord of literature!”. Yet this is exactly what we have to do, and have not done. We need to shout it from the rooftops that Christ is the beginning of all wisdom and knowledge, (Col 2:2,3) that He is King over the entire universe and that Christ is as central to Calculus, Chemistry and Civics as He is to Christmas (Col 1:16,17).
Many years ago, before you and I were ever born, secularists like Rousseau, Voltaire and Dewey began to remove Christ from academia. Back then, when Christ was still understood to be central in all creation, they began the campaign to remove Christ from education, attempting to separate things created from their Creator. Well, needless to say, the church bought into it. We bought secularisms’ idea of “neutrality”, that there are subjects out there that are morally and religiously “neutral”. “Christ has nothing to do with math. You can know math apart from any mention of Christ”, said they…and we believed it! And then we began to parrot their words and train our children this way. Even now many homeschooling Christians teach their children subjects like math and English and many other subjects without any mention of Jesus. Yet, Jesus made math and language, science and government. If you believe the Bible then you must acknowledge that Christ is the reason not just for the season, but for everything that was, is or ever will be. He is the one that brings all things meaning, and all things were created by Him and for His glory (Prov. 16:4). How then can anything be religiously neutral or religiously free? It can’t. All things are by their very nature religious for these very reasons, and a right understanding and application of any and all subjects, holidays and events can only be found in reference to Christ.
So during this Christmas season let’s not just fight to keep Christmas, but let’s fight to recapture the territory that has been stolen. Let’s teach our children that through a simple mathematics equation or a complex calculus proof we can see the mind of God. Let’s teach them that history is the manifestation of God’s perfect providence. Let’s show them why science works, why logic is logical, and why the world operates in the manner that it does. Let’s proclaim to our dear little ones and to the world that “the earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains!” (I Cor 10:26). Let’s show the world that in Christ is hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge and that Christ is King of not only Christmas but of Civics, Chemistry and Calculus as well!
Youth Pastors Needed
EXTRA!!! EXTRA!!!
Huge shortage in Colorado!
Huge shortage in Colorado!
I just heard that there is an enormous need in the state of Colorado and you might just be one of the people that can fill that position. The position that is open is that of Youth Pastor. STOP! Don’t walk away! I know you might not think you are qualified for this position, but that’s why there is such a shortage. You might actually be just the man for the job.
Here are the qualifications…
1) You must be the father of at least one child.
2) You must love your child/children.
3) You must own a Bible and must know how to read.
4) You must live in your house.
If you meet these qualifications then you are perfect for the position.
Here is the job description:
1) You are to teach your children about God. That’s right. That God that you worship, talk about Him with those kids and do it whenever you get a chance.
2) Teach these children God’s ways. Yep, open up that Book filled with Gods instructions to us and to them and say, “This is what God says”.
3) Now this is key…teach these children what you believe.
Okay, that’s about it. Oh, one last thing…this is to be done with your children. Don’t let someone else do it for you.
The pay… the eternal reward of knowing that you invested in your children, that you taught them about God and how to worship God. Knowing that you had a hand in who they have become and in what they believe is a greater reward than any amount of money.
Oh, and by the way, you don’t need to sign up for the position because you already have the job. If you are a father then you are a youth pastor. God has called every father to pastor his children because their father is far more qualified than anyone else!
Here are the qualifications…
1) You must be the father of at least one child.
2) You must love your child/children.
3) You must own a Bible and must know how to read.
4) You must live in your house.
If you meet these qualifications then you are perfect for the position.
Here is the job description:
1) You are to teach your children about God. That’s right. That God that you worship, talk about Him with those kids and do it whenever you get a chance.
2) Teach these children God’s ways. Yep, open up that Book filled with Gods instructions to us and to them and say, “This is what God says”.
3) Now this is key…teach these children what you believe.
Okay, that’s about it. Oh, one last thing…this is to be done with your children. Don’t let someone else do it for you.
The pay… the eternal reward of knowing that you invested in your children, that you taught them about God and how to worship God. Knowing that you had a hand in who they have become and in what they believe is a greater reward than any amount of money.
Oh, and by the way, you don’t need to sign up for the position because you already have the job. If you are a father then you are a youth pastor. God has called every father to pastor his children because their father is far more qualified than anyone else!
Are They Worth It?
I recently had a conversation with a father who was thinking about placing his children back into the public school system. The reason he gave was that homeschooling was very draining on he and his wife. I believe what he was saying. The homeschooling choice is not an easy one because it comes at great expense. There is the financial expense of the different curriculums that we use, and there is the enormous cost of our time. And then there are the emotions, the emotions that might drain us the most because relationships are messy and hard and we are forced into those relationships with our children because of all that time spent with them. So my friend was right. Homeschooling takes a toll on all of us (especially our wives), yet I have found that with great expense comes greater reward. How often have you gotten something truly worth keeping without it coming at a great expense? It reminds me of the parable of the pearl merchant. “The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” (Matt 13:45-46)
Yes, homeschooling is costly, but look at the pearl…the hearts and souls of our children. If you are anything like me, then there is nothing you want more than to see your children love God, to walk with Him and to see them keep unspotted from the world. Yet this pearl requires that they know Who God is, What He has done, how they are to love Him, and how His truth permeates every aspect of reality so that they, in turn, can love God in every aspect of reality. And what parent doesn’t want their children to honor them, to respect them and most of all to love them?
Yet how will this occur if a majority of their waking hours are spent with peers in a system that teaches anything but a love for God? The beauty of homeschooling is that we can teach our children the whole truth of God as we sit at home and as we walk along the road, as we lie down and as we rise up. We can show them how the truth of God affects all of reality and how they can love God in every part of life because we are there to walk with them through it. Yes, it takes time, and a lot of it. Yes, it is emotionally draining. But aren’t our children worth it?
Yes, homeschooling is costly, but look at the pearl…the hearts and souls of our children. If you are anything like me, then there is nothing you want more than to see your children love God, to walk with Him and to see them keep unspotted from the world. Yet this pearl requires that they know Who God is, What He has done, how they are to love Him, and how His truth permeates every aspect of reality so that they, in turn, can love God in every aspect of reality. And what parent doesn’t want their children to honor them, to respect them and most of all to love them?
Yet how will this occur if a majority of their waking hours are spent with peers in a system that teaches anything but a love for God? The beauty of homeschooling is that we can teach our children the whole truth of God as we sit at home and as we walk along the road, as we lie down and as we rise up. We can show them how the truth of God affects all of reality and how they can love God in every part of life because we are there to walk with them through it. Yes, it takes time, and a lot of it. Yes, it is emotionally draining. But aren’t our children worth it?
The Principal
When I was a kid there was nothing that brought more terror to my heart than the thought of having to go to the principal’s office. If that happened I knew I was in trouble and something terrible was going to happen to me. In my eyes the principal was the enforcer, the cop, judge, and jury, the end-of–the-line. Believe it or not, this was not the principal’s primary role in the school. The principal was the leader. His job was to provide the vision of what the school was trying to achieve and then to ensure that everything that happened within the walls of the school worked toward those goals. But we homeschool. We don’t have a principal, or do we?
Dads, we are called by God to be the leaders of our home, and, therefore, our homeschool. In other words, we are called to be the principal. We are the ones that are to decide what the goal of our homeschool is. What end are we trying to accomplish through our children’s instruction? What do we want our children to become? In a word, what is our vision? Our wonderful wives labor hour after hour, day after day, but to what end? What is the final product that we are trying to achieve through our school? Our job as the leader of our home is to provide this vision, God’s vision for our children.
We must provide a clear picture of what our homeschool is for, of what God is wanting our children to become. Is the goal having well-informed, godly children that will impact the world for the kingdom of Christ? Is the goal to equip our children with the tools they need to enter the mission field? Or maybe it is teaching how to love God, how to love their neighbors as themselves, and how to keep themselves pure and undefiled from the world. Whatever the vision is, you and I must grab hold of the vision that we believe God has for our children and communicate it to them and to our wives. They must know where they are going if they are ever going to get there. We all must have a goal in sight to know if what we are doing is moving us toward the goal or away from it.
How do we do this? We get on our faces before God and pray and read His Word, and ask Him for vision. He might lead some of us to a particular verse, and for others He might cause a purpose statement to pop into our heads. It is different for all of us, but what we have in common is that God wants us to know and to communicate this vision to our families. Catch the vision, unite your home around it and watch the mighty work that God does!
Dads, we are called by God to be the leaders of our home, and, therefore, our homeschool. In other words, we are called to be the principal. We are the ones that are to decide what the goal of our homeschool is. What end are we trying to accomplish through our children’s instruction? What do we want our children to become? In a word, what is our vision? Our wonderful wives labor hour after hour, day after day, but to what end? What is the final product that we are trying to achieve through our school? Our job as the leader of our home is to provide this vision, God’s vision for our children.
We must provide a clear picture of what our homeschool is for, of what God is wanting our children to become. Is the goal having well-informed, godly children that will impact the world for the kingdom of Christ? Is the goal to equip our children with the tools they need to enter the mission field? Or maybe it is teaching how to love God, how to love their neighbors as themselves, and how to keep themselves pure and undefiled from the world. Whatever the vision is, you and I must grab hold of the vision that we believe God has for our children and communicate it to them and to our wives. They must know where they are going if they are ever going to get there. We all must have a goal in sight to know if what we are doing is moving us toward the goal or away from it.
How do we do this? We get on our faces before God and pray and read His Word, and ask Him for vision. He might lead some of us to a particular verse, and for others He might cause a purpose statement to pop into our heads. It is different for all of us, but what we have in common is that God wants us to know and to communicate this vision to our families. Catch the vision, unite your home around it and watch the mighty work that God does!
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
A Letter to Fathers
“My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways.” Prov 23:26
Several months ago a friend came to me for counsel. With a heavy heart and many tears he explained to me how he felt completely detached from his son. Though only seven years old, his son and he had drifted apart and his son never came to him with any problems, or concerns, for guidance, or for affection. What had happened? He loved his son and wanted to be close to him, yet as time passed they grew further and further apart. Why didn’t his son feel close to him or trust him anymore?
One thing is for sure, it didn’t happen overnight. This was a long process of a son gradually having his heart hardened toward his father. Why? Because he needed, but wasn’t getting, his father’s time. This man’s son needed his father. He needed his father to teach him how to be a man. He needed his father to teach him how to pray and read his Bible. He needed his father to teach him how to shoot a bb gun and to go hiking with. He needed his father to read to him stories and to teach him how to be godly. He needed his father’s time.
Each day we come home we have expectant little boys who have waited all day to see us. We are their heroes. We are their role models. They can’t wait to spend time with us. They want to be close to us and they want for us to show them what life is all about. They don’t need money or toys; they don’t need video games or a television. What they need, and what they really want, is us. They are desperate for our time. They are desperate for our attention.
Odds are that you are away from home 40+ hours a week. That means that the majority of your sons’ learning and activities are with mom. As wonderful as this is, it is not enough. Our sons need our time. They need to learn how to be godly men, and unfortunately they will not learn it from mothers. They can learn a lot, but to learn to be godly men they must look to a godly man, they must spend time with their fathers to show them how to be godly. They must spend time with us to know those things that men do: how to lead, how to work with their hands, and how to do those things that God has called men to do. They won’t learn it from mom. They need to learn it from us. If we do not model manhood for them, they will still learn it, but it will be someone else’s idea of manhood. Is that what we want? Do we want our sons to be like someone else?
I bet you, like me, want your sons to be like you, to stand on your shoulders, to be godly Christian men. The question then arises, “What are we willing to do to accomplish this?” My friend wanted his sons heart, but wasn’t willing to expend the time and energy that it takes to win that heart. How much are our sons worth? Are they worth spending time with when all we feel like doing is crashing on the couch after a long-days work? Are their hearts worth the sacrifice of our personal peace and affluence in order to teach them and train them in the ways of God? Having our son’s heart is costly. It will cost all of us time, and sleep, and our beloved television programs. It may cost us giving up a Saturday of baseball, or a Monday Night Football Game. But aren’t they worth it? Aren’t their souls worth anything we could possibly give?
There isn’t a boy but wants to grow manly and true at heart
And ev’ry lad would like to know the secrets we can impart
He doesn’t want to slack or shirk or haven’t you heard him plead?
He’ll follow a man at play or work if only a man will lead
Where are the men who’ll lead today, sparing an hour or two?
Teaching the boy the game to play just as a man should do
Village and slums are calling “Come!” here are the boys indeed
Who can tell what they might become if only a man would lead
Where are the men to lend a hand, echo it far and wide
Men who will rise in every land, bridging the great divide?
Nation and flag and tongue unite joining each class and creed
Here are the boys who would do right, but where are the men to lead?
SDG, Jason(Poem by 19th century pastor)
Several months ago a friend came to me for counsel. With a heavy heart and many tears he explained to me how he felt completely detached from his son. Though only seven years old, his son and he had drifted apart and his son never came to him with any problems, or concerns, for guidance, or for affection. What had happened? He loved his son and wanted to be close to him, yet as time passed they grew further and further apart. Why didn’t his son feel close to him or trust him anymore?
One thing is for sure, it didn’t happen overnight. This was a long process of a son gradually having his heart hardened toward his father. Why? Because he needed, but wasn’t getting, his father’s time. This man’s son needed his father. He needed his father to teach him how to be a man. He needed his father to teach him how to pray and read his Bible. He needed his father to teach him how to shoot a bb gun and to go hiking with. He needed his father to read to him stories and to teach him how to be godly. He needed his father’s time.
Each day we come home we have expectant little boys who have waited all day to see us. We are their heroes. We are their role models. They can’t wait to spend time with us. They want to be close to us and they want for us to show them what life is all about. They don’t need money or toys; they don’t need video games or a television. What they need, and what they really want, is us. They are desperate for our time. They are desperate for our attention.
Odds are that you are away from home 40+ hours a week. That means that the majority of your sons’ learning and activities are with mom. As wonderful as this is, it is not enough. Our sons need our time. They need to learn how to be godly men, and unfortunately they will not learn it from mothers. They can learn a lot, but to learn to be godly men they must look to a godly man, they must spend time with their fathers to show them how to be godly. They must spend time with us to know those things that men do: how to lead, how to work with their hands, and how to do those things that God has called men to do. They won’t learn it from mom. They need to learn it from us. If we do not model manhood for them, they will still learn it, but it will be someone else’s idea of manhood. Is that what we want? Do we want our sons to be like someone else?
I bet you, like me, want your sons to be like you, to stand on your shoulders, to be godly Christian men. The question then arises, “What are we willing to do to accomplish this?” My friend wanted his sons heart, but wasn’t willing to expend the time and energy that it takes to win that heart. How much are our sons worth? Are they worth spending time with when all we feel like doing is crashing on the couch after a long-days work? Are their hearts worth the sacrifice of our personal peace and affluence in order to teach them and train them in the ways of God? Having our son’s heart is costly. It will cost all of us time, and sleep, and our beloved television programs. It may cost us giving up a Saturday of baseball, or a Monday Night Football Game. But aren’t they worth it? Aren’t their souls worth anything we could possibly give?
There isn’t a boy but wants to grow manly and true at heart
And ev’ry lad would like to know the secrets we can impart
He doesn’t want to slack or shirk or haven’t you heard him plead?
He’ll follow a man at play or work if only a man will lead
Where are the men who’ll lead today, sparing an hour or two?
Teaching the boy the game to play just as a man should do
Village and slums are calling “Come!” here are the boys indeed
Who can tell what they might become if only a man would lead
Where are the men to lend a hand, echo it far and wide
Men who will rise in every land, bridging the great divide?
Nation and flag and tongue unite joining each class and creed
Here are the boys who would do right, but where are the men to lead?
SDG, Jason(Poem by 19th century pastor)
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