From Rick Oliver's website: "I highly recommend this movie to all people who can think for themselves. Here is an opportunity to hear and see both sides of an issue and then make up your own mind based on all the information, not just the one sided mandated information but all of the information. It is time that the education system in this country wake up and teach students 'how to think not just what to think.'"
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Friday, March 21, 2008
The Good Customer Discount
This week a dryer went out in my house. The diagnosis was an overly clogged dryer vent. It is hard for me to believe that it has been four years since I had it cleaned. My, how time flies when you're living your life!! I contacted the company that had worked on it in the past. The serviceman who came had been to my house twice before. He told me after an hour or so blowing out lint that I would be getting the "good customer" discount. I was happy for the reduction in price, joking that I was indeed a good customer since my dogs hadn't bitten him and I had greeted him with a smile. But, then, I realized that I had an opportunity to be an even better customer.
During our conversation, I discovered that he had two children. I asked where they went to school. He said one was still in grammar school, but his daughter was a freshman in high school. Without prompting, he gave me a five minute description about how different public high school was now than when he was in school. He commented on unwed mothers with day-care centers for their children, politically correct gender clubs, the common practice of drugging boys with Ritalin, and the brainwashing that goes on that makes kids so ignorant they can't discern whether prospective political candidates are saying anything of value. I asked if he had ever considered private school. He said it had been a thought at one time, but the Catholic schools weren't close to where his family lived. I then asked if he and his wife had ever considered homeschooling. He took a deep breath and admitted that they were practically homeschooling now with all the extra work that they had to do to help their kids academically.
By the time he drove off, I had told him about the local Christian homeschooling convention that would be taking place in a couple of weeks and I had suggested he read The Harsh Truth About Public Schools. I told him that if he was still comfortable about having his kids in public schools after reading that book, at least he had full knowledge backing up his decision. He waved good-bye, not sure whether to thank me or not.
Many people feel they have little opportunity to influence the culture around them. I disagree. Normal life situations bring many people into our lives who need to hear the truth about institutions and organizations that oppose the Lord Jesus Christ. What better way to truly earn that "good customer" designation than by sharing with them information that will help them safeguard the health and future of their families. No, I didn't get a chance to share the full gospel with Nick, but I did steer him to two resources that are distinctively and deliberately Christian and that will eventually help him reach that destination.
During our conversation, I discovered that he had two children. I asked where they went to school. He said one was still in grammar school, but his daughter was a freshman in high school. Without prompting, he gave me a five minute description about how different public high school was now than when he was in school. He commented on unwed mothers with day-care centers for their children, politically correct gender clubs, the common practice of drugging boys with Ritalin, and the brainwashing that goes on that makes kids so ignorant they can't discern whether prospective political candidates are saying anything of value. I asked if he had ever considered private school. He said it had been a thought at one time, but the Catholic schools weren't close to where his family lived. I then asked if he and his wife had ever considered homeschooling. He took a deep breath and admitted that they were practically homeschooling now with all the extra work that they had to do to help their kids academically.
By the time he drove off, I had told him about the local Christian homeschooling convention that would be taking place in a couple of weeks and I had suggested he read The Harsh Truth About Public Schools. I told him that if he was still comfortable about having his kids in public schools after reading that book, at least he had full knowledge backing up his decision. He waved good-bye, not sure whether to thank me or not.
Many people feel they have little opportunity to influence the culture around them. I disagree. Normal life situations bring many people into our lives who need to hear the truth about institutions and organizations that oppose the Lord Jesus Christ. What better way to truly earn that "good customer" designation than by sharing with them information that will help them safeguard the health and future of their families. No, I didn't get a chance to share the full gospel with Nick, but I did steer him to two resources that are distinctively and deliberately Christian and that will eventually help him reach that destination.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Stop, Stand Firm, and Watch God Work
In 1995 I scheduled our local homeschool choir at the Ronald MacDonald House near Stanford University Children's Hospital for a Christmas performance. At that time, I met a woman whose son was there for chemotherapy treatments due to Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Our families became very close, sharing the important milestones in life. Michael was eight years old when we first met. He had already had a life full of medical issues. Michael received a heart transplant at the age of one. By the time he went home to be with the Lord in 2004, Michael had seen his share of hospitals and medical procedures due to heart rejection, multiple strokes, and finally complications with his kidneys. Michael was a living testimony to God providing grace for the situations He gives His children. Michael met each trial as an opportunity to praise His Savior and served as His ambassador to everyone he met.
After Michael's death, his parents began Michael's Ministry as a way to share their message of hope with those walking a similar road. They funded a project that had Michael's picture and testimony printed on the inside covers of a New Testament. They have placed over 30,000 copies in doctor's offices, hospitals, and businesses up and down New Jersey. This is what those who pick up the free paperback read alongside Michael's picture:
Here is one example of the many responses they've received on their website:
Isn’t it just like God to take the sorrow and loss of one of His children to plant a seed in another? Michael had a phrase that has become a slogan of sorts for his namesake ministry. He use to share it with his folks whenever they became despondent over some glitch in plans or adverse diagnoses: "Stop, stand firm, and watch God work." Good advice for all of us!
After Michael's death, his parents began Michael's Ministry as a way to share their message of hope with those walking a similar road. They funded a project that had Michael's picture and testimony printed on the inside covers of a New Testament. They have placed over 30,000 copies in doctor's offices, hospitals, and businesses up and down New Jersey. This is what those who pick up the free paperback read alongside Michael's picture:
Hi, I'm Michael Sottile, and I have something wonderful to tell you. My struggles have brought me lasting joy. May I tell you my story? (Please turn to the back of the book on the inside cover.)
Have struggles? Yes, everyone has them, and I have had them, too. But in the midst of these difficult times in my life, I have found comfort in knowing that God is in control.
You see, during my lifetime I have had several illnesses: a bad heart that required a new one; a diagnosis of cancer where I needed chemotherapy for fourteen months; two strokes, one that caused my face to drop and the second that left me with a limp; and, lastly, a blood disease that opened the door to Heaven.
I consider it a blessing to have had all four illnesses because it has enabled me to relate to others in need on all four levels instead of just one. Now I know the purpose of my life. And it gives me great joy to tell you that there can be peace in the midst of your suffering, and it can be found on page 174 (2 Cor. 4:8-18).
So when life brings your struggles -- and it will -- know that there is hope found within the pages of this book. ~ Michael Sottile
Here is one example of the many responses they've received on their website:
I would like to share an amazing story of hope that I experienced as a result of Michael's Ministry.
Just a few days prior to my daughter suddenly becoming critically ill, I was given a copy of the Hope, New Testament from a client of mine. It just so happened that I packed it in my daughter's overnight bag just in case I would become bored at the hospital and need something to read. I had "no idea" of what was ahead of me!
Madison had a flesh-eating disease called Necrotizing Fasciitis that had come over her in a matter of hours with no warning what-so-ever. The bacteria were eating through the tissue in two of her limbs, and she was suffering from toxic shock. Each of these conditions is deadly alone; and together, well, it is a true miracle that she survived and came to a full recovery, a few months later.
During this terrible storm, I found comfort in my Bible from Michael's Ministry. Nothing that was happening made any sense to me, and I was afraid to trust what the doctor's were telling me as the outcome was unbearable. As it turned out, I found peace and encouragement in reading this book with the handsome, brave young man's story on the inside cover. What a smile he had, and what he must have gone through, I thought. Well, I read and read and prayed every second that I could, and in the end, my little girl became well and I came to know and trust in the Lord.
I am so very grateful to have had this opportunity. Without the Hope, New Testament our situation could have ended very differently. Had it looked like a traditional Bible, I probably would never have even picked it up to read! I truly believe that God has a plan for each of us and He puts people in our lives to help expedite His plan.
Isn’t it just like God to take the sorrow and loss of one of His children to plant a seed in another? Michael had a phrase that has become a slogan of sorts for his namesake ministry. He use to share it with his folks whenever they became despondent over some glitch in plans or adverse diagnoses: "Stop, stand firm, and watch God work." Good advice for all of us!
Friday, March 7, 2008
Come On, Judges!
I grew up on Bill Cosby. Some of my earliest memories are sitting around the living room listening to his record, Bill Cosby Is a Very Funny Fellow. In recent years, he has become an advocate for common sense in child rearing. He has called on extended families, church communities, and neighborhoods to work together to reverse the trend of single-parent households. He has spoken out about the inordinately high percentage of African-American males who die young or are incarcerated. His book, co-authored with Alvin F. Poussaint, M.D., Come on People, has as its subtitle: On the Path from Victims to Victors.
I don't agree with all of the authors' presuppositions or conclusions, but much of what they cover amounts to good common sense with a significant amount of influence from their own Christian upbringing. They stress the importance of parents being thoroughly involved in their children's lives. They don't pull punches when they point out statistically and anecdotally how out of control the situation is in most communities and schools. They take great pains to establish the importance of the father in the lives of children and teens, and preach taking responsibility for babies conceived, babies in the womb, and children born.
Recently three California judges, in closed proceedings, decided that the 166,000 homeschoolers in California are acting outside the law. If these judges get their way, they will deposit these homeschooled children in an already overburdened, low-achieving, and financially floundering school system. This despite the fact that homeschooled children test considerably higher than their public-schooled counterparts. Homeschool parents absorb the cost of educating their children while their tax dollars go to support schools their children do not attend. Could the problem be that homeschooled children are achieving too well? That their teachers (most of whom don't hold a teaching credential) are turning out responsible citizens who are hard working and self-sufficient and not placing additional burdens on society? The evidence is in that public schools are not accomplishing with their charges what homeschooling moms and dads accomplish with their children. Come on, Judges!
For years, homeschool critics predicted that homeschooled students would not match up academically with their public-schooled counterparts. History has shown otherwise. These same critics and their cronies pointed out the "danger" of homeschooled children not being socialized through attendance in public schools. Yet in situation after situation they become the leaders and most cooperative co-workers whether in university settings or the job market. It seems to me that this is a contrived crisis that these judges are claiming to solve and their actions are more in line with acts of desperation. We are witnessing the death throes of a dying ideology--humanism.
I'd like to meet Bill Cosby someday. My guess is that he would have many good things to say about homeschooling parents (especially fathers) who invest in their children and take responsibility for their education and support. Christian homseschoolers have never taken the path of victimhood, for their victory was won at Calvary over 2000 years ago when Jesus's death and resurrection put into force God's plan for victory.
I don't agree with all of the authors' presuppositions or conclusions, but much of what they cover amounts to good common sense with a significant amount of influence from their own Christian upbringing. They stress the importance of parents being thoroughly involved in their children's lives. They don't pull punches when they point out statistically and anecdotally how out of control the situation is in most communities and schools. They take great pains to establish the importance of the father in the lives of children and teens, and preach taking responsibility for babies conceived, babies in the womb, and children born.
Recently three California judges, in closed proceedings, decided that the 166,000 homeschoolers in California are acting outside the law. If these judges get their way, they will deposit these homeschooled children in an already overburdened, low-achieving, and financially floundering school system. This despite the fact that homeschooled children test considerably higher than their public-schooled counterparts. Homeschool parents absorb the cost of educating their children while their tax dollars go to support schools their children do not attend. Could the problem be that homeschooled children are achieving too well? That their teachers (most of whom don't hold a teaching credential) are turning out responsible citizens who are hard working and self-sufficient and not placing additional burdens on society? The evidence is in that public schools are not accomplishing with their charges what homeschooling moms and dads accomplish with their children. Come on, Judges!
For years, homeschool critics predicted that homeschooled students would not match up academically with their public-schooled counterparts. History has shown otherwise. These same critics and their cronies pointed out the "danger" of homeschooled children not being socialized through attendance in public schools. Yet in situation after situation they become the leaders and most cooperative co-workers whether in university settings or the job market. It seems to me that this is a contrived crisis that these judges are claiming to solve and their actions are more in line with acts of desperation. We are witnessing the death throes of a dying ideology--humanism.
I'd like to meet Bill Cosby someday. My guess is that he would have many good things to say about homeschooling parents (especially fathers) who invest in their children and take responsibility for their education and support. Christian homseschoolers have never taken the path of victimhood, for their victory was won at Calvary over 2000 years ago when Jesus's death and resurrection put into force God's plan for victory.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
If You Are Going to Fear Someone, Fear the Lord
A recent California court ruling has been destabilizing for homeschooling families. As reported in WorldNetDaily, if implemented, parents of 166,000 California students could face criminal charges because they educate their children outside of the California public school system. The intent of the ruling seems to be stripping families of any choice in their children's education and forcing submission to a God-less, anti-Christian paradigm. By God's providence and care, there are quite few competent and dedicated organizations that are "on the case" and ready to engage the situation head on.
In the meantime, all involved with home education should "keep their hands to the plow" maintaining their mission and resolve. Most never started homeschooling because it was fashionable, carefree, or financially lucrative for their families. In fact, Christian homeschooling families in America sacrifice personal gratification and often economic surplus for the opportunity to give their children the God-centered training that the Bible requires.
This court ruling reminds me of a number of situations recounted in Scripture where the desired intent of the enemies of God backfired on them. Like the tyrannical leader who assumed (incorrectly) that he could remedy an annoying problem by drowning babies in the Nile River and, in another instance, making it difficult for Hebrew families to make a living. Instead of ridding himself of a nuisance, he ended up paying dearly, both personally and nationally because he moved against the children of God. Or, how about that time when God's people were threatened with annihilation and the Lord gave a ruler insomnia one evening and had a bedtime story read to him that ultimately set in motion the defeat of the enemies of His people.
Those who war against God's children take the Lord Jesus Christ on as their enemy. But, we should take comfort in the question and answer #26 of the Westminster Shorter Catechism:
Q. 26. How does Christ execute the office of a king?
A. Christ executes the office of a king, in subduing us to himself, in ruling and defending us, and in restraining and conquering all his and our enemies.
Homeschooling parents should acquaint their children with the current attack on our liberties and our freedom to obey God. But, rather than react with fear to this assault, we should remember that the Lord tells us that the gates of hell will not prevail against His church. If we are going to fear anyone, we should "… fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matthew 10:28)
This is a glorious opportunity to keep the faith in obedience and to watch God work!
In the meantime, all involved with home education should "keep their hands to the plow" maintaining their mission and resolve. Most never started homeschooling because it was fashionable, carefree, or financially lucrative for their families. In fact, Christian homeschooling families in America sacrifice personal gratification and often economic surplus for the opportunity to give their children the God-centered training that the Bible requires.
This court ruling reminds me of a number of situations recounted in Scripture where the desired intent of the enemies of God backfired on them. Like the tyrannical leader who assumed (incorrectly) that he could remedy an annoying problem by drowning babies in the Nile River and, in another instance, making it difficult for Hebrew families to make a living. Instead of ridding himself of a nuisance, he ended up paying dearly, both personally and nationally because he moved against the children of God. Or, how about that time when God's people were threatened with annihilation and the Lord gave a ruler insomnia one evening and had a bedtime story read to him that ultimately set in motion the defeat of the enemies of His people.
Those who war against God's children take the Lord Jesus Christ on as their enemy. But, we should take comfort in the question and answer #26 of the Westminster Shorter Catechism:
Q. 26. How does Christ execute the office of a king?
A. Christ executes the office of a king, in subduing us to himself, in ruling and defending us, and in restraining and conquering all his and our enemies.
Homeschooling parents should acquaint their children with the current attack on our liberties and our freedom to obey God. But, rather than react with fear to this assault, we should remember that the Lord tells us that the gates of hell will not prevail against His church. If we are going to fear anyone, we should "… fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matthew 10:28)
This is a glorious opportunity to keep the faith in obedience and to watch God work!
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