More than a Blimp's-Eye View

One of the things you can count on if you currently reside this side of Heaven is that your life will include troubles and trials. In fact, the Scripture promises it: These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world (John 16:33). Without the promise of the Lord’s presence and grace in the midst of these challenging times, we’d be sorry creatures indeed.

I find it comforting at such times to cling to the doctrine of the sovereignty of God. Rather than remain mired in my own depression or misery, it helps to get a “higher” view, sort of like the one shared at televised golf tournaments when the blimp gives a layout of the golf course, hole by hole. That view helps identify the layout of the terrain and what hazards and obstacles might be strewn along the way. Such a perspective often makes its way into the course guide that provides suggestions as to how to play particular shots and score the course well.

In truth, the Christian has a better view than the blimp’s-eye view. The Word of God gives us an eternal view. Once accepted for what it is – the inspired word of the Triune God – a believer is able to transcend the myopic, often distorted perspective of an incompletely sanctified life and assume the orientation of the Creator, Savior, and Counselor of our souls. God’s law-word (the Ten Commandments, case laws derived from them, and further applications throughout both Old and New Testaments) is our guide to weather the storms from our flesh, the world, and the devil that threaten to engulf us.

So, the next time you find yourself swimming in real and significant woes, remember: They that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint (Isaiah 40:31). Those eagles’ wings will help you soar up to the eternal view and the Word of God will be your course guide to run the contest before you.

Jehovah Is My God

I dedicated my second book The Homeschool Life to “Owen, the son of my first graduate.” Well, I guess I should start work on my next one, because the daughter of my first graduate was born yesterday. And now, the debate begins.

There are those who hold to the tabla rasa perspective which says that she is, in essence, a blank slate only to be shaped by the various experiences of her life. There are those who hold to the perspective that she’s a reincarnated soul who just happens to be spending this portion of her existence as a female human. There are those who consider her a random accident of a billion years of natural selection. And, there are those, by nature eclectic, who pick and choose between these and many other equally distorted views.

The Bible clearly identifies the nature of this little 7 lb. 8oz. lady. She comes into the world having inherited the sin of her original ancestor Adam. Moreover, she brings with that a unique combination of DNA taken from her father and her mother and those who came before them. She also arrives with a conscience, an internal barometer if you will, that, as she grows, will confirm the Truth of God’s Holy Word regardless of her obedience or disobedience to it. And, finally, she comes into this world with a calling – an already established calling.

Ellie (short for Elliott – Jehovah is my God) has as her purpose to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. She will learn to do this as she takes no other gods before her Creator, shuns the worship of idols, and honors the name of her Lord and His Sabbath gift. Additionally, as a daughter, she is further constrained to honor and obey her parents and those in authority over her, along with the remaining commandments that instruct her how she is to relate to all the other people of the world.

Some would argue that the world already has too many people in it. Some would lament that this child is born into a world plagued with wars, natural disasters, and poverty. However, they would miss the greatest reality of all as gloriously put forth in the words of Psalm 139:1-18,

O LORD, you have searched me and known me!
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
beholding, O LORD, you know it altogether.
You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is high; I cannot attain it.

Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,”
even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you.
For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
I awake, and I am still with you.

Privileged Parents

As a homeschooling parent and a “resource librarian” for our homeschool lending library, I am constantly on the lookout for good educational resources and teaching tools. Over the years, I’ve made a practice of jumping on interesting looking books, videos, or other items that I’ve seen advertised because I am never quite sure that I will see them offered again any time soon. This practice has placed within my fingertips useful tools to further the education of my own children along with assisting other homeschoolers, too.

A couple of years ago as I was driving in the car, I heard an interview; the author of The Privileged Planet was describing the thesis of his book. Simply put,

“…a rare and finely tuned array of factors makes Earth suitable for complex life…. The same factors that make a planet like Earth hospitable to life also provide the best conditions for scientific discovery.”*

I ordered the “must-see” (according to the radio host) companion DVD. It lived up to the superlatives used in the interview. It, along with the book, has become part of our science curriculum and makes its way into the hands of other homeschooling families who use our library.

Resources like this one prove most helpful to homeschooling parents, many of whom feel inadequate to provide in-depth science instruction. This one-hour DVD provides sharp and specific weapons to combat the deceptions of the Big Bang Theory as it is currently taught in most schools and accepted in modern culture. Moreover, the graphics, commentary, and thorough explanations reveal the simplicity of the answer to the question of Why are we here?, while resonating within the soul of a believer the words of Scripture, “Let God be true and all men liars" (Rom 3:4). It is just as the Bible states, “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made"(John 1:3).

The comparison to homeschooling is quite compelling:

The rare and finely tuned array of factors that make obedient parents suitable for teaching and discipling their children, are the same factors that make homeschooling hospitable to providing the best conditions for furthering the Kingdom of God.

By answering God’s call to provide Christian education for our children, God additionally provides the means to continue in that obedience. I not only live on a privileged planet, I am most certainly a privileged parent.

*from the DVD liner notes

Tools from My Toolbox

Those new to homeschooling would do themselves a favor by beginning a steady association with other veteran homeschoolers. Besides the mentoring situation that could develop between the moms and dads, it is beneficial to see what subjects are assigned and what expectations are hoped for among children of different ages. Observing the abilities, shortcomings and attitudes of a variety of children will give new homeschooling parents a sense of what lies ahead. It will also provide many opportunities for discovering how others deal with the various challenges that arise in any learning situation.

Here are some suggestions from my own experience:

*** Make sure you don’t confuse a standard of excellence with your own unrealistic expectations. Just because you want your child to be a violin virtuoso, doesn’t mean that God placed within him the desire or talent for such a calling. Learn the art of inspiring your students rather than dictating to them what they should or should not become.

*** Choose your words carefully when helping them strive for excellence. Comments such as, Why can’t you be more like__________?, only serve to discourage and invalidate the progress that is occurring. More appropriate phraseology such as, I see you are making steady improvement ,is a more positive way to achieve the desired outcome. Since the point of all learning should be to unearth and develop that which the Lord has intended for each child in terms of his service to the Kingdom of God, the role of the encouraging parent is vital to help the child discover where he fits in to God’s plan.

*** It is important that a child never feels as though he is stupid. The best way to avoid this (or remedy it if this self-perception is already present) is to have set goals in mind as you begin an academic undertaking. Make sure you have actually taught the material before you expect your student to get the right answer. At any point you see frustration or impatience (and you will), you can pose questions and offer suggestions to help your student learn how to figure out the problem for himself. That said, if he’s not “getting it,” feel free to offer hints or give the beginnings of an answer to get the ball rolling.

*** Never ever end on a down note. This may be time consuming, but, especially with young children, ending with a smile is very important. If this means biting off less with each learning session, or extending the learning time considerably, consider it time well spent. It is to everyone’s advantage for the next learning time to be anticipated with joy rather than avoided with dread.

*** I often suggest to homeschooling parents that they involve themselves in some new learning activity of their own where they have to exercise patience, deal with frustration, and accept slow, steady progress rather than immediate success. Then, not only will they understand on a personal level what their students are experiencing, but they have the chance to model the Fruits of the Spirit in the midst of their own learning curve – both very valuable to the desired ends of homeschooling.

As the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth. (Isa. 61:11)

And He Spoke to Them in Parables

Compass Cinema's Modern Parables: Living in the Kingdom of God are billed as Bible studies for people who like movies.

Volume 1 offers six of Jesus's parables (Hidden Treasure, The Good Samaritan, The Shrewd Manager, the Widow and the Judge, the Sower, and Prodigal Sons) in modern depictions. After each short "movie" there is a lesson study that is useful to start discussion on each of the points Jesus makes in these parables. While I don't necessarily agree with all points made, I did find it useful in sparking discussion and reflection on what Jesus was communicating to us in these stories He told.

I have already used these in Bible studies and for general viewing with my family. My favorite is Prodigal Sons, yet there is something to recommend with all of them.

Enjoy!