God Made, Home Grown

Thursday, February 18, 2010

This Little Light of Mine (Part 1)

8:35 AM | Edit Post

photo by Alesa Dam

A friend of mine on Facebook asked yesterday,

"Do you think everyone should homeschool? I mean to say, do you think all public education is damning to a child? I'm just curious--not being judgemental.--sorry if it sounded like that!"

My response was rather lengthy, and I told her many of the reasons that yes, I do think that all Christians, ideally, should homeschool their children. If that can't be done, a Christian school should be chosen. I cited several arguments that I made in this article.

Now, she and I have been good friends since our days at Moody Bible Institute, so I knew two things with reasonable certainty:

She would not agree with me, and,
She would still love me anyway.

Her response to my explanation proved my two assumptions correct:

"Thanks! I don't agree with your point of view, but I do really appreciate your being willing to share it with me. I guess my opinion in a nutshell (not that you asked for it--hee!) is, if we withdraw the light and salt from the public schools, we can't have a witness among people who need it the most. Again, just my thoughts on the matter.

I'm glad we can have differing opinions and still be friends and sisters in Christ."

If only all such exchanges of ideas were so civil!

This conversation got me thinking, and I decided to share some of those thoughts here today. If there is one argument I hear over and over again from Christians in favor of public schools, it is the "salt and light" argument.

(It is almost as common as the "socialization" argument that I hear, mostly from non-Christians).

You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out, and trampled under foot by men.

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;

not does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.

Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 5:13-16 (NASB)

I have heard these verses quoted ever since I was a young Christian, but I can't say as I have heard them quoted much in context. While I am not an expository preacher, I'd like to point out a couple of things I see in the context of this passage:

The first 12 verses of Matthew 5 are The Beatitudes. The people Jesus is calling "salt and light" are people who "hunger and thirst for righteousness" (vs. 6), are "pure in heart" (vs. 8) and are "persecuted for the sake of righteousness" (vs. 10). Therefore, it is safe to assume that they are believers.
Jesus spends the rest of Matthew 5 (and a great deal of Matthew 6) calling people to a higher level of obedience and righteousness than they had ever been called. (For more on this, check out Dr. Voddie Baucham, Jr.'s Sermon on the Mount series at www.sermonaudio.com)

Now, based on the context of this passage, I see several glaring problems with the "salt and light" argument for Christians sending their children to public schools.

We say we want our children to be "salt and light" in their public schools, but the fact is, most of the children Christians are sending to public schools are not yet born again. It is impossible for a child to be a witness to the light (1 John 1:1-3) if they have not yet seen the light.
In the same vein, most of the children we are sending to public schools do not have a biblical world view. So, not only are they not prepared to "give a reason for the hope that is within them" (1 Peter 3:15), but they are also having their worldview actively shaped into secular humanism by the 40-50 hours they spend per week in school.

All the evidence points to the world "evangelizing" our kids...not the other way around.

Moreover, Jesus did not expand upon his "salt and light" statements by telling his followers that they needed to start sending their children to the Roman schools, even though that was an available option that some Jewish people were taking advantage of in Jesus's day.

No! He expanded upon those statements by calling them to obedience to God's Law.

And yes, one of those mandates is for parents to educate and disciple their own children--to bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the LORD. (Deuteronomy 6:6-7, Ephesians 6:1-4)

How does the salt of the earth lose it's saltiness? When it doesn't taste any different from the culture around it.

How does the light of the world become hidden under a bushel? When it attempts to blend into the culture around it!

We seem to think that the best way to influence the world is to become as much like the world as possible while still maintaining a "flavor" of Christianity. Yet, we are losing the cultural war, and we are losing it rapidly, one generation at a time.

On the other hand, we have seen throughout history that people who are committed to obeying God, no matter what the social implication or personal sacrifice, have had profound impact on their culture!

Contrary to popular misconception, biblical homeschooling isn't about raising little hermits in an over-protective bubble.

It is about raising young people who have a solid foundation in their knowledge of God and are passionate about using the gifts God has given them to fulfill the Great Commission.

To Be Continued...

6 comments

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

The Whole World In His Hands

8:14 PM | Edit Post

Asher received a globe from his grandfather for Christmas. Chris and I were excited about it, but we didn't immediately realize just how excited Asher would be.

Excited was the wrong word. He is enchanted.

In the past two months, Asher has used his globe to:

Locate the North Pole, South Pole, and Equator,
Find where we live,
Identify each of the oceans and continents.

But, that was only the beginning.

The globe is now a source of constant fascination. It spends most of the day in the middle of the dining room table. I find that we refer to it often--it adds a tangible component to everyday conversations.

We had a fun talk about the days when people thought the earth was flat, where Columbus was really trying to go when he "discovered" the New World, and why he thought sailing around the earth would be easier than going south around Africa.
As we studied the life of Hudson Taylor, missionary to China, we followed his travels on the globe. We discussed why, even though sailing from England to China was a long, hard journey, (no airplanes back then!) it was still preferable than traveling by land across all of Europe and Asia. Also, as Taylor founded China Inland Mission, we talked about what is meant by "coastal" and "inland" areas of a country.
Shortly after our study of Hudson Taylor, Asher randomly asked one morning, "Where are the Philippines? I told him to find China, go east into the Pacific Ocean, and start looking around. He found the Philippines within moments. He found Japan, too. It helps that he can read well.
Within the first couple days after the earthquake in Haiti, I was discussing with a friend plans he had to help in the evacuation effort. Asher planned his own rescue flight with his globe, charting a stop in Florida on the way down and a stop in Mexico on the way back. He drew it all out in the form of a map. It was quite remarkable.
Just this morning at breakfast, Asher read "product of Chile" on our carton of blueberries. When he asked what that meant (Acacia was sure it had something to do with hot peppers!), we found the long, skinny country on the west cost of South America. Colored green on the globe, we decided that it actually did look a lot like a chili pepper!

The most profound conversation I have had with my son surrounding his globe has been about east and west. First of all, we started at the south pole and "traveled" (with my finger) north, then south again, than north again.

Then, we tried to do the same thing with east and west. Of course, it doesn't work.

Start heading east...keep going east...no matter how far you travel, or how many times you circle the globe, you will always be going east.

Start going west...same thing...you will always be going west.

Then, I explained to Asher, that God used east and west as a metaphor to show us what happens when Christ forgives us of our sins.

As far as the east is from the west,

so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

Psalm 103:12 (NASB)

It was one of those thrilling moments of sharing truth with my child where I said inside,

"Yes! This is why I do this! This is why I homeschool!

What's even more wonderful, is he actually seemed to "get it".

We serve such an amazing God! He created the universe and has the whole world in His hands, and yet He loves us so much that He would make us objects of His mercy and grace.

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,

The moon and the stars, which you have ordained;

What is man that You take thought of him,

And the son of man that You care for him?

Yet You have made him a little lower than God,

And You crown him with glory and majesty!

You make him to rule over the works of Your hands;

You have put all things under his feet,

All sheep and oxen,

And also the beasts of the field,

The birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea,

Whatever passes through the paths of the seas.

O LORD, our Lord,

How majestic is Your name in all the earth!

Psalm 8:3-9

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Friday, February 5, 2010

Becoming...

4:51 PM | Edit Post

"A man is what he thinks all day long."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

"We become what we think about."

Earl Nightingale

"For as he thinks within himself, so he is."

Proverbs 23:7 (NASB)

The first month of 2010 is behind us. What are you thinking about? What are you becoming?

What are your children thinking about? What are they becoming?

"Therefore, if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

Set your mind on things above, not on the things that are on earth."

Colossians 3:1-2 (NASB)

What are they seeing? Reading? Hearing? Studying? Memorizing? Absorbing into the core of their beings?

What about you?

What about me?

"A pupil is not above his teacher, but everyone, after he has been fully trained will be like his teacher."

Luke 6:40 (NASB)

Does it matter?

Of course it matters!!

You know it matters.

I know it matters.

So, what are we going to do about it?

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Thursday, February 4, 2010

What Kids Really Need

3:35 AM | Edit Post

During a rare, short, solo shopping trip that I took in an affluent community, Chris drove the kids through a high-end subdivision. The conversation they had was priceless.

Dad: What do you think of those houses, Asher?

Asher: They look like apartment buildings.

Dad: No, son, actually, those are single-family homes.

Asher: Those must be pretty big families who live there!

Dad: (suppressing chuckle) What would a small family do with a big house like that?

Acacia (the 3-year-old): Clean it!

Wisdom from the mouths of babes!

Clearly, we live in a society of excess and misplaced priorities. We make sacrifices in the area of family life for the sake of having nice "things". We have huge, elaborate houses that we are never home to enjoy.

(Lest you read this and become upset with me, no, I am not against being wealthy. I am against monetary prosperity at the expense of other, more important things. There is a big difference.)

As home educators, we sometimes fall into the trap of thinking that we are not providing everything that our children really "need".

People outside of our families may tell us that our kids are missing out on things that the public school experience could give them. Maybe you've had conversations, as my husband has, with people who say that you wouldn't have to struggle so hard financially if you would just put the kids in school and send your wife back to work.

Maybe you've started to wonder if you're really doing what's best for your kids.

While it may be true, in some ways, that we can't give our kids all the same experiences at home that they would have at public school, it is quite the leap to say that therefore, we should not homeschool. This mindset is based on a fallacy--one that holds up the conventional school paradigm as the ideal model.

It ignores the fact that we are gaining a lot of good in exchange for what we might give up.

-Kids don't really need a highly trained staff of state-certified teachers to guide their learning experience...

...they need the kind of mentoring relationship and walk-along-the-road discipleship that can only come from loving parents.

-Kids don't really need a stack of expensive textbooks...

...the Book they need most is the Word of God. Most of the other worthwhile books can be obtained with a library card.

-Kids don't really need every minute of their day scheduled with academic work and extra-curricular activities...

...they need time to be creative, time to explore nature, time to learn how to work at home, time to "just be" with their families, and most importantly, time to worship God and serve Him.

-Kids don't really need to be on the traveling baseball/football/soccer team...

...they need to run around in their own backyard with their siblings, go for a walk in the woods, or have a catch with their dad.

-Kids don't really need a long list of "crushes", falling in and out of "love" a dozen times before they turn 18...

...they need to see real, unconditional, sacrificial love modeled to them by their mother and father. They need love and respect demonstrated to them in such a way that they know how a potential mate ought treat them, and how they ought behave around members of the opposite gender.

-And trust me, unless you're living in a tiny apartment on the wrong side of town (been there, done that), your kids do not really need a bigger house. They don't need a fancy new car, all the latest digital "toys" and high-end clothing to impress all their friends, either...

...what they need is YOU. No amount of "stuff" is going to be an adequate substitute for a mother who stays home with her children, and a father who is home enough to develop strong relationships.

...and no teacher or school, no matter how well-educated or well-funded, is going to do a good job taking your place...and if they do, then you've really lost out, haven't you?

Yes, there are difficult situations. If you're a single mom, juggling two jobs just to make ends meet, I feel for you! But, lets be honest, most of us are not there! We're rushing around, shipping our children off to a laundry list of daycare providers, babysitters, and school teachers instead of raising them and teaching them ourselves because we are trying to maintain our "lifestyle"--our material things--our STUFF.

"Do not love the world nor the things in the world.

If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

For all that is in the world,

the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life,

is not from the Father, but is from the world.

The world is passing away, and also its lusts;

but the one who does the will of God lives forever."

I John 2:15-17

As always, the convicting hand of God points a finger back at me as I type this. I know there are areas of my life that do not come into line with this passage of Scripture. But, if I only quoted the parts of the Bible that I lived perfectly, I wouldn't have much to write about.

So, please, don't see me as a legalistic ogre or naive Pollyanna who doesn't understand your situation. Each of us needs to search the Scriptures, pray diligently, and evaluate the choices we are making in light of His Word. I only hope that we will start to realize that we need to make our lifestyle choices based on the Word of God, not on self-serving interests or cultural expectations.

The next generation is at stake, and The LORD is calling us to do right by these little ones.

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Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Decisions or Disciples?

12:12 AM | Edit Post

Most of us who have been involved in children's ministry for any length of time have heard of the 4/14 window. That is, in the USA, 85% of people who make a decision for Jesus Christ, do so between the ages of 4 and 14.

The reasons for this are obvious. Jesus said that whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will not enter it at all (see Mark 10:13-16). Little children are able to accept the truths of God's Word in a way that their more cynical, "grown-up" counterparts cannot.

Oh, the blessedness of being able to teach a little child about the Word of God, and about our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ!

However, as I have been pondering the 4/14 window recently, I was made aware of a bleak juxtaposition that ought make us rethink how we do children's ministry:

If 85% of people who make decisions for Jesus Christ do so between the ages of 4 and 14...

...and...

If somewhere between 75-88% of children identified as Evangelical Christians abandon their faith by the end of their freshman year in college...

...then...

Many...possibly the vast majority...of those "decisions" that were made by children in the 4/14 window, were not decisions at all...

...and...

We have a lousy track record as American Christians in discipling our children!

Ask any Sunday School teacher or children's ministry director how easy it is to get a group of Kindergarteners to raise their hands and pray a prayer to ask "Jesus into their heart".

It's simple.

Smile a lot...talk about how much Jesus loves them...talk about heaven.

They'll raise their hands.

But, are they reached?

Probably not.

Why not? Because they do not understand the Gospel.

-They do not understand that God is Holy and Righteous and cannot tolerate sin in His presence.

-They do not understand that they are hopeless sinners, in desperate need of a Savior.

-They do not understand that Jesus Christ, who is God Incarnate, the Son of God, the Second Person of the Trinity, lived a perfect, sinless life, died on the cross to pay the penalty for sin, and rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures.

-They do not know that Jesus Christ is the only way to God, and that it is only by putting their faith and trust in Him exclusively for salvation that they can be rescued from the eternal punishment for their sin.

For too many churches, children's ministry has become about getting as many children as possible to pray a prayer of "magic words". Forget whether or not they understand what they just said.

Similar things could be said about churches whose practical, applied theology teaches parents that infant baptism is what saves a child. If they abandon their faith as teenagers, we have a false-peace that, because they were baptized, they are "okay".

This is born out by the fact that research from the Nehemiah Institute shows that less than 10% of churched teens have a biblical worldview. This does not just apply to so-called "moral" issues, but also to the basic tenets of the Christian faith, and whether or not there is such thing as absolute truth at all.

We must face a harsh reality--when our young people reject biblical Christianity after having made some sort of profession of faith, their "decision for Christ" was no real decision at all.

They went out from us, but they were not really of us;

for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us;

but they went out, so that it might be shown that they all are not of us.

I John 2:19 NASB

A Radically Different Approach

Now, before you dismiss me as anti-child evangelism, let me assure you that nothing could be further from the truth.

I am fanatical about child evangelism. This is one of the biggest reasons that I homeschool my children. I want to make sure that I am teaching my children the truths of God's Word all day, everyday, in every area of our lives. I want to live and breathe Deuteronomy 6 with my children.

My point is that our current approach to child evangelism is not working, and for many young people it is leading to a false-assurance of salvation.

Sunday School is not enough. AWANA is not enough. Youth Group is not enough. Christian Camping is not enough. We must be discipling our children in our homes.

What about spiritual orphans...kids who don't have Christian parents?

...we should be discipling them in our homes, too. (More about this in a future post).

Many of us believe we must do this, but most of us don't. Recent research from the Barna Institute shows that, of the few Christian parents who actually talk about their faith with their children in their homes, most devote less than 30 minutes per week to the practice. Ouch.

Contrast this with the 14,000 hours that 96% of kids from Christian homes spend in the public schools, being indoctrinated into secular humanism, and it is no wonder we have a problem on our hands.

The answer to me is obvious. We as Christians must take responsibility for the spiritual formation of our children. We cannot abdicate our responsibility to the Sunday School teacher or Youth Pastor. It's our job.

It also means, again, that we must provide for our children a Christian Education. Ideally, at home, but if that is not possible, at a quality Christian school.

Yes, it will mean a radical change in lifestyle for many of us.

Yes, it will mean thinking differently then we ever have before, and questioning assumptions we have made about church and family life, making sure that they line up with Scripture.

Yes, it will cost us time and money.

Yes, some people will think we are crazy.

But...

...we afford what we care about,

...we prioritize what is important to us,

...we sacrifice for what matters,

As for me and my house, the thing we want most for our children is that they become fully-devoted followers of Jesus Christ, and that they dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

8 comments

Thursday, January 14, 2010

In the Blink of an Eye

9:38 AM | Edit Post

My husband's brother, Nate, got married last weekend.

Doesn't my hubby look handsome?

Our daughter was the flower girl:

Our youngest was a ham:

Our oldest did his best to behave himself, amidst all that formal wear:

Now, I've been to plenty of weddings in my life, but this one really hit me in a unique way.

You see, Nate is Chris's baby brother. They are 12 years apart.

When Chris and I first met in high school, Nate was 4. I remember him as the little kid who would come into the McDonald's that I worked at, and stand on his tippy-toes to peep at me over the counter. He and his dad would have breakfast there on Saturday mornings, and I made his day by allowing him to get his own apple juice out of the fridge.

That was 18 years ago.

10 years ago this January, I married Christopher, his big brother--my best friend since those high school days. Nate was 12 then, and despite being the youngest groomsman, he took his responsibilities seriously and looked awfully sweet in that tuxedo.

Now, I don't feel as though I've aged that much in the past ten years, but Nate has sure grown up. He went from 8th grader to married man in a nanosecond!

How did that happen? Where did the time go?

Then, it occurred to me:

10 years from now, that too-smart-for-his-own-good boy of mine, making faces at the camera, will be...(gulp!)...

15 years old.

We will be teaching him geometry. We will be teaching him to drive. We will be teaching him how to treat young ladies with respect.

That little baby princess in the flower girl dress will be 13!

When I think about the girl I was at that age, the thought both excites me and scares me to death!

LORD, help us!

And that toddler in the suit--that little bundle of energy and muscle, passion and will--he will be 11!

We'd better earn his heart and respect now, because by then, he'll probably be able to take us down if he has a mind to!

Friends, maybe we've heard it a million times, but the time we have with our children is very short. We need to make the most of the time, because we live in an evil, fallen world (Ephesians 5:16), and we don't get a second chance to raise them right.

They grow up way too fast.

Some days...okay, many days...I am exhausted.

Training a son, bringing up a daughter, and keeping up with a toddler is draining.

And rewarding.

More than I can handle.

And what I absolutely must do.

Father, give me Your grace and Your strength to be a godly wife and mother. Help me to raise my little ones in a way that honors and glorifies You. I cannot do it on my own.

"Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit" says the LORD of Hosts.

Zechariah 4:6

3 comments

Friday, January 8, 2010

For the Sake of Your Tradition

12:27 PM | Edit Post

Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, “Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”

And He answered and said to them, “Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?

“For God said, ‘HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER,’ and, ‘HE WHO SPEAKS EVIL OF FATHER OR MOTHER IS TO BE PUT TO DEATH.’

“But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever I have that would help you has been given to God,” he is not to honor his father or his mother.’ And by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition.

“You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you:

‘THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS,

BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME.
‘BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME,
TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.’”

Matthew 15:1-9 NASB

I had the opportunity this week to listen to an intriguing podcast from Scott Brown of the National Center for Family Integrated Churches. You can download and listen here:

For the Sake of Your Tradition

Prepare to have your thinking challenged with this one. I have come no where close to wrapping my mind around all of these things yet, but God is definitely working on me!

Although this podcast is not really about homeschooling, it has some correlating implications.

I have found that many people consider the public education system as a sacred cow of sorts--something that one cannot criticize, cannot judge, cannot call into question.

Advocating that Christians remove their children from the public school system makes one naive or intolerant at best. I've been called offensive, judgmental, legalistic, and uncompassionate.

Why?

Why is it not okay for the government to pay for and be in control of our health care, but it is okay for them to pay for and be in control of our children's education?

Why do we consider sending our little ones to public schools to be somehow evangelistic, when the statistics clearly show that the world is "evangelizing" our kids--not the other way around?

Don't believe me? 75-88% of evangelical teenagers "graduate from God" when they graduate from high school. They walk away from their faith by the end of their freshman year of college. Somewhere between 85-90% of Christian parents send their kids to public schools. I do not think this is coincidental.

Incidentally, why do Christians seem to be more concerned about their children's socialization than they are about their children's knowledge of God and His Holy Scriptures?

Why do we blatantly ignore the commands of Scripture to give our children a Christian education, and to not sit them at the feet of false teachers?

I think the reason is simple...

We are attached at the hip to the public school system.

It has become part of who we are, how we live our lives, and how we define our families.

It would be easier for some of us to cut off a part of our bodies than it would be to remove our children from the government schools.

We have all sorts of ways to justify it, but the fact remains--

We don't want to change...

We are comfortable where we are sitting...

We like our traditions.

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