Thinking biblically about worry, anxiety, hope, trust, and peace. Bible scriptures to study for family devotion.

Preparing for baptism. Bible scriptures to study during family devotion over several weeks.

Each Christian family must have a routine time of focusing on the scripture and praying for one another.  Here's what has worked well for us...

Teenager. The word can bring fear to any parent of younger children as they imagine their kids entering so-called "adolescence". Expectations seem universally low for modern teenagers. What can you as a parent and teacher reasonably expect from a 14 year old? Some see a modern culture in chaos and just hope to keep their kids off drugs and not pregnant. A look at past eras to get a sense of what is possible for a teenager...

With regular Bible reading as the centerpiece, other resources can be used to draw together Biblical ideas.

Let's peer into the future for schools - success for the classical schooling method means most of the graduates are mature, godly, and biblically-minded. When these marry and begin education for their own children, what might such an educational system look like? How about after 3 or 4 generations?

A most amazing autobiographical message from one of my favorite people. Church leaders, young people considering their calling, parents, etc. will all benefit. C.S. Lewis, Francis Schaeffer, G.K. Chesterton, Jonathan Edwards, Geometry, Poetry, Logic, Hermeneutics, Rationality, Romance, Dyslexia - all there. A huge, glorious story...

The Visionary Father’s Role in Home Education

Here's an excerpt from a recent Vision Forum email about the CD:

"The Visionary Father’s Role in Home Education tackles these questions and more by laying out seven fundamentals of biblical fatherhood applied to home education: The duty of fathers to lead with love by casting vision; providing distinctively biblical discipleship; spiritually defending the realm of the Christian household from external danger; overseeing the “big picture” direction for household management; enforcing discipline; serving as the resident historian; and leading in family worship."

More on the CD

Typically, a college interview pertains to the prospective student answering questions of the college staff or faculty.  The student is eager to be accepted and wishes to excel in the interview.  However, a more important interview would actually be a series of interviews between the student's parents and each professor that will teach the student.  If the college is effective, as professors teach the student, "the student becomes like the teacher".  So parents should want to know what type of person their child will become, should the education be successful.  Of course, if the education is not successful, the student doesn't become like the professor and the parents have wasted precious time and money. 

Here's a wise and ancient perspective on higher education from St. Augustine, a man whose brilliance is generally uncontested.  He realized his education did nothing to change his character and behavior, as he had his "back to God's light".  Make sure your professors are facing fully into the light, or their great learning and eloquence will only lead you astray.

From Confessions book 4, chapter 16: 
And what did it profit me that I, the base slave of vile affections, read unaided, and understood, all the books that I could get of the so-called liberal arts? And I took delight in them, but knew not whence came whatever in them was true and certain. For my back then was to the light, and my face towards the things enlightened; whence my face, with which I discerned the things enlightened, was not itself enlightened. Whatever was written either on rhetoric or logic, geometry, music, or arithmetic, did I, without any great difficulty, and without the teaching of any man, understand, as Thou knowest, O Lord my God, because both quickness of comprehension and acuteness of perception are Thy gifts. Yet did I not thereupon sacrifice to Thee. So, then, it served not to my use, but rather to my destruction, since I went about to get so good a portion of my substance into my own power; and I kept not my strength for Thee, but went away from Thee into a far country, to waste it upon harlotries. For what did good abilities profit me, if I did not employ them to good uses?

The Association of Classical and Christian Schools is holding their 2008 Annual Conference in Austin this year.

While I am becoming less and less interested in the "school" model, I am interested in the classical methods. I discourage "school" when it is defined as a daily classroom environment with a single expert teaching 15 to 30 children. There are benefits from joining with others now and then to hear the wisdom of a single expert or visionary. However, the day-to-day educational model the scriptures teach are parents mentoring and discipling their own children. Of course, Jesus taught His disciples in more of a school model. He as the leader of 12 students who were not His own biological children. So again, I see the expert-led classroom model as biblical and practical for mature adults.

That said, I am excited about the ACCS conference and will be attending this year. I greatly anticipate the opportunity to hear Ken Myers in person, having listened to his perspective for years through my Mars Hill Audio subscription. He and the other great speakers will be an encouragement to any home-educating parents who attend. I hope to see you there!