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Jan 05
2

Will God Work In Your Life & Ministry In 2019?

By | Public Blog

For those of us in the United States, we are probably just getting back to normal after having a break for Christmas and the New Year.  However, do we really want to merely get back to normal?  I am certain that each of you, like me, desire to see God do something that only He will get the glory for in our lives and our ministries.  If that is going to happen, I believe we must get back to understanding the ultimate purpose for education.  For the past 2-3 weeks I have been striving to re-look at education through a biblical worldview lens.  It has been an invigorating time with the Lord in prayer and His Word.  Here is what God has taught me through this time of re-focusing on my purpose.

The real purpose of education must be seen in relation to God’s highest purpose for man.  There are several passages of Scripture that have gripped me afresh over the past few weeks.

For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen. Romans 11:36 (KJV)

For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. Colossians 1:16-17 (KJV)

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?  For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (KJV)

Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. I Corinthians 10:31 (KJV)

I know that these are probably very familiar passages to you and I have written about them in the past.  However, I believe we need to meditate on them and seize hold of them in a greater way as we enter 2019.  Everything was created by and for God.  The fact that everything was created “for” God means that everything exists for His glory alone.  Isaiah 42:8 reads, I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another.  God will only work for His glory.

When you think on these passages and others, one finds that God’s highest purpose for man is what is stated in the Westminster Shorter Catechism.

Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.

This means that the main purpose for education must be to equip children and youth with the ability to better glorify God and enjoy Him throughout all of life.  Education must guide them to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes (character) that will enable them to glorify God in whatever they think, say, and/or do.  As I contemplated this truth, I was led to re-visit what it means to glorify God.  Again, I found some Scriptures that gripped my heart and mind about this subject.

 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. John 17:4 (KJV)

Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person… Hebrews 1:3 (KJV)

Jesus glorified God perfectly while He was here on earth.  The writer of Hebrews explains how Jesus did this by stating that He was the “express image of God’s person.”  Another translation puts it this way.  Jesus was the radiance of His (God’s) glory and the exact representation of His nature.  This means that one must be just like Jesus if he/she is going to glorify God in everything.  Dr. Gary Inrig makes this point when he wrote,

One’s glory is one’s reputation…God’s glory is not just His reputation but His revealed character, the display of His attributes.  To glorify someone therefore is to increase his reputation by revealing his true nature…to glorify God is to live in such a way that His character is revealed and His praise is increased! (emphasis mine)

Of course, understanding what it really means to glorify God requires us to get to know Him more each and every day we have here on earth.  This means it is imperative that we spend time with Him each day through prayer and reading His Word.  This is how He reveals Himself to us.  We cannot re-present Him if He doesn’t reveal Himself to us.

As I continued looking at education through a biblical worldview lens, I wrote down several goals that I found must be pursued if the main purpose of education is to be achieved.  When these goals are fully realized, our children and youth will be able to fulfill their purpose of glorifying God and enjoying Him forever.  I will only share these goals with you in this blog.  Perhaps I can elaborate on them in future posts.

  • Education must lead people to true worship of God
  • Education must lead to transformed lives
  • Education must equip people for war
  • Education must equip people to live wisely
  • Education must lead people to advance God’s kingdom

As you consider these goals, I encourage you to not think of them merely as “religious” matters.  Most people who have subscribed to my blog are educators and/or parents.  It is easy to read about the main purpose of education and these five goals as being great for church and Sunday School.  However, you are involved in “schooling” and schooling is all about “academics.”  This is what happens when we divide life into two separate compartments — the secular and the sacred.  I want to challenge you to apply the main purpose of education and these five goals to the area of education that you are involved in as an administrator, a board member, a teacher and/or a parent.  What implications does this have for you?

I pray that 2019 will be a year like none other.  May God use you to accomplish His purpose to see future generations develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes (character) that will enable them to glorify God in whatever they think, say, and/or do.

Dec 30
4

How To Enter A New Year

By | Public Blog, Uncategorized

It is hard to believe that another year is almost over.  Two thousand and eighteen years have gone by since Jesus entered the world as a baby.  Tomorrow we will begin a new year — 2019.  2018 was a milestone year for me as I marked 50 years of teaching and celebrated 50 years of marriage to my amazing wife.  As I enter 2019, I find myself wondering what the new year will be like and what does God have in store for me, my family and my ministry.

Last week I was reading in the Psalms and a couple of verses jumped off the pages and caused me to stop and reflect for a moment.  I read,

The days of our years are threescore years and ten (70); and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years (80), yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. Psalm 90:10 (KJV)

Of course, I gave this verse a close look because I find myself somewhere between threescore and ten and fourscore years.  It is true that life here on earth is brief and passes by so quickly and the years are filled with labor and sorrow.  I continued reading and paused at another very familiar verse.

So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. Psalm 90:12 (KJV)

It is important to pay attention to every single day that God gives us here on earth.  As I numbered my days, I found myself humbled to have been blessed by God in so many ways over the years.  God wants us to take careful account of our lives because that will cause us to acquire a heart filled with wisdom.  When we do this, we would quickly realize that, apart from Him, we can accomplish nothing of eternal significance.

So how should we enter 2019?  To answer this question, I want to reflect on two other verses that I read the other day.  These are found in Psalm 92.

It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High: to shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night, Psalm 92:1-2 (KJV)

Another translation says that we should declare God’s lovingkindness in the morning and His faithfulness at night.  These verses have guided me over recent years on how to start and end each day as I number them.  I wrote in the margin of my Bible next to verse 2 the following thoughts.

At the beginning of each day ‘look forward’ with HOPE!

At the end of each day ‘look back’ with THANKS!

When I start a day, I should focus on God’s never-ending lovingkindness.  This gives me hope no matter what circumstances  I might face throughout any given day.  When the day ends and I look back on all that took place, I become thankful because I am always amazed that He was fully faithful to His Word.  He never fails!

I believe this is a great way to not only start and end a new day but also how to start and end a new year!  As we enter 2019, let’s do so declaring God’s lovingkindness.  I am convinced that if we did this throughout 2019, when the year comes to an end and we look back, we would find that God was completely faithful and we would end the year with thanksgiving in our hearts, singing praises to His name.

I encourage you to take a few minutes and reflect on 2018.  I am sure that we all faced some minor and major challenges over the course of the year.  There may have been a time when you may have wondered how you would even survive to see another day.  As I look back on 2018, I can only give praise to the One who was with me each step of the way.  What an amazing God we serve!  I pray that God will show forth His lovingkindness to you each day of 2019.

Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen. Philippians 4:20 (KJV)

Dec 16
1

Looking Back On 2018

By | Public Blog, Uncategorized

It is hard to believe that 2018 will soon be over and a brand new year will be here.  As I look forward to 2019 with a sense of excitement, I want to take the opportunity to reflect back on all that God has done in my life and ministry this past year.

A couple of days ago I came to Psalm 71 in my daily Bible reading.  The Psalmist takes time to look back over his life and becomes enthralled by God’s goodness over his many days on earth.  As I read through this powerful psalm, I was reminded that God creates each and every person and actually knows him/her before he/she is formed in the womb.  Then God sustains us from birth until death.

By You I have been upheld from birth;
You are He who took me out of my mother’s womb.
My praise shall be continually of You. Psalm 71:6 (NKJV)

It is because of God’s sustaining lovingkindness, we can trust Him completely for whatever the future might hold.  I found myself praising the Lord when I read these words.

But I will hope continually,
And will praise You yet more and more. Psalm 71:14 (NKJV)

As I continued reading, I saw where I had written in the margin of my Bible the following words, my prayer at age 71.  I had written these words at the beginning of 2018.  Here are the words that I had claimed as my prayer at the beginning of this year.

Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come.  Also Your righteousness, O God, is very high, You who have done great things; O God, who is like You?  You, who have shown me great and severe troubles, shall revive me again, And bring me up again from the depths of the earth. You shall increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side.  Psalm 71:18-21 (NKJV)

I have been reflecting on this prayer that I prayed 12 months ago and find myself amazed at how God has and continues to miraculously answer it.  There is no question that this past year has not been without some difficult valleys that I have had to pass through.  However, God has sustained me through every trial and testing and has allowed me to experience some unbelievable mountaintop experiences.

When I think about the phrase do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come, I find myself blown away by the doors of opportunity that God opened up to me during 2018.  Here are some of the awesome works that God has done in my life and ministry this year that allowed me to share the message of kingdom education to the current and future generations around the world.

  • God has led me to a deeper understanding of kingdom education over the past several months.
  • Subscribers to KEM’s weekly blogs has increased significantly throughout 2018.
  • Opportunities to travel and conduct seminars and staff inservices increased significantly across the country and even to parts of Australia.
  • A series of 32, 30-minute training videos were filmed and edited by a very talented creative team at Word of God Ministries (WOGM) in Shreveport, LA (with more being developed for release in 2019).
  • With the help of WOGM, a brand new website for Kingdom Education Ministries rolled out in early 2018.  This new website allowed me to share the message of kingdom education more effectively around the world.
  • As part of the new website, a subscription side was developed that allowed schools, churches and families to have access to a wide variety of resources at a very low rate.  This has led to over 100 subscribers (both schools and families) in five different countries to have access to training that would help them develop a stronger biblical worldview and strengthen their commitment to providing future generations with a biblical worldview education.
  • New opportunities to join with other individuals and organizations developed and continue to become available which has allowed the message of kingdom education to have a wider impact throughout the world.
  • Mentoring opportunities have begun with some godly young leaders in an effort to provide Kingdom Education Ministries with ongoing leadership.

There is no question in my mind that none of this would have been possible if it weren’t for God’s blessing and provision.  Because of God’s awesome work, I agree with the Psalmist.

Also Your righteousness, O God, is very high, You who have done great things; O God, who is like You? Psalm 71:19 (NKJV)

God has placed a greater burden on my heart to develop more resources that will allow many more homes, churches and schools worldwide understand kingdom education.  Who knows how many subscribers to KEM’s subscription website will be added to the growing numbers during the new year.  I believe that thousands of parents, church leaders and educators will be equipped through these resources and be better able to provide future generations with a biblical worldview education. 

If anyone would have asked me what 2018 would be like last January, I wouldn’t have come close to imagining what God would allow me to be a part of.  So as I look forward to 2019, I do so with a spirit of thanksgiving and excitement.  

I pray that everyone who reads this week’s blog will have a blessed and Christ-filled Christmas with family and friends.  I will be taking a couple of weeks off of writing to spend time with my family and celebrate the reality of Emmanuel – God is with us!  I look forward to connecting with you in 2019! Merry Christmas!!

Dec 10
1

Why Do You Do What You Do?

By | Public Blog

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men

Christmas is just around the corner.  I find that too many of us get so busy at this time of year that we actually miss the season’s true meaning.  When this happens, we also lose the purpose behind our existence and all that we do here on earth.  We celebrate Christmas because it is a reminder that the only begotten Son of God came to earth and became one of us.  One of the most important names that Jesus is called at this time of year is Emmanuel.  The name means God is with us!  This is an amazing truth to try and comprehend.

When Jesus was born in the manger, it wasn’t simply about another baby being born into this world.  We read in Hebrews 1:3 that Jesus was and is the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person.  Jesus’ birth brought glory to God because He was the express image of Him.

This wonderful truth should help each of us answer the question I am asking in today’s blog.  Why do you do what you do?  The answer must be, To give glory to God.  This is what Paul made so clear in his first letter to the church at Corinth.

Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.  1 Corinthians 10:31 (KJV)

Most of us have read this verse over and over again.  Many of us may have even memorized it.  But do we really live it out in our everyday lives?  Recently, I pulled out a book from John Piper’s series, The Swans Are Not Silent.  This one reflected on the lives of Charles Spurgeon, George Müller and Hudson Taylor.  I had read a biography of Müller many years ago.  His life has amazed and challenged Christians for years.  He is most known for his ministry to orphans and how he never asked for funds but trusted God completely to meet his every need.  There are accounts of times when there was no food to feed the children and God miraculously met that need while he was offering thanks before a meal.

However, many of us are unaware of what his fundamental motive was behind all that he did.  It is important to realize the scope of his orphan ministry.  Müller built five orphan houses and ministered to 10,024 orphans in his lifetime.  In fact, he never took a salary in the last 68 years of ministry.  This is hard to comprehend in today’s world of sophisticated marketing and fund raising methods so common in Christian ministries today.  Now, I am not saying that marketing and development strategies are wrong.  I merely point this out as a somewhat misconception of Müller’s primary purpose behind all he did.

See, I always thought that Müller’s ministry was done out of a deep love for orphans and that he wanted these children to have a home and come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  However, these very worthy motives were secondary to his main purpose behind all he did.  Müller’s own words unveils his deepest motive behind his ministry.

The three chief reasons for establishing an Orphan-House are: 1) That God may be glorified, should He be pleased to furnish me with the means, in its being seen that it is not a vain thing to trust in Him; and that thus the faith of His children may be strengthened. 2) The spiritual welfare of fatherless and motherless children. 3) Their temporal welfare.

In Müller’s work, HIs Narrative, he makes his motive very clear.

…the orphan houses exist to display that God can be trusted and to encourage believers to take Him at His Word.

Again, Müller wrote:

The first and primary object of the work, was (and still is) that God might be magnified by the fact, that the orphans under my care are provided, with all they need, only by prayer and faith, without any one being asked by me or my fellow-laborers, whereby it may be seen, that God is faithful still and hears prayer still.

Piper sums up Müller’s reason behind what he did throughout his ministry by writing:

…the chief passion and unifying aim of Muller’s ministry: to live a life and lead a ministry in a way that proves God is real, God is trustworthy, and God answers prayer.

To sum up Müller’s life one could say that his aim in life was to glorify God by helping people take God at His Word.  Müller knew that the only way to accomplish this was to saturate his life with the Word of God.  He said that he read the Bible five or ten times more than he read any other books.

As we contemplate the question, Why do you do what you do?  Would we be able to say that our primary reason for all we do is to glorify God in the way that Müller did?  Do we want to see God glorified more than anything else in our lives or ministries?  Do we live our lives and lead our ministries in such a way that it reflects God’s character and proves that He is real and trustworthy?

As we prepare for Christmas may we live with the reality that God was glorified on that night in Bethlehem when the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person was born in the manger.

Let us see that we keep God before our eyes; that we walk in His ways, and seek to please and glorify Him in everything, great and small.  Hudson Taylor

Dec 02
5

Some Haunting Questions

By | Public Blog, Uncategorized

Have you ever received an email or text message that hit you hard and you couldn’t get it out of your mind?  Well, that happened to me last week.  I received a short email from a dear friend.  In the email, he simply shared some questions with me.  After reading it, I tried to move on with some work I had to do.  However, those questions kept coming up in my mind and, no matter what I tried to do, I couldn’t stop thinking about them.

The first question was actually a quote by John Piper from his book, God is the Gospel.

If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ were not there?

I encourage you to carefully read that quote again.  It is a profound question to ponder.  I know what my verbal response would be.  I would boldly declare, of course not.  But then I found myself thinking about how I live my everyday life.  Do I seek the blessings of knowing Christ or do I seek Him?

This would have been convicting enough but my friend’s email took Piper’s quote and applied it to a real life example.  My friend wrote,

Now take that question and change it.

If you could have a school that had all the latest technology, a very competitive sports program, academically excellent, high ACT and SAT scores, a creative arts and drama program, high involvement in community and service projects, humanitarian global mission teams, moral and ethical students, high graduation rates, and a high percentage of students going to college, could you be satisfied with that school, if Christ were not there?

He concluded his email to me with an additional question.  Why would we be okay with anything in our lives if Christ were not there?  There is little doubt in my mind that everyone reading this post would say that Christ is more important than all of these other things that are mentioned above.  Yet, if we think about an average day that goes by, do we really seek Christ in everything or do we strive to accomplish all of the other very worthy things that are mentioned in the questions above?

One of the biblical principles that I present in my book, Kingdom Education, is that the education of children and youth must hold Christ preeminent in the entire educational process.  But is it truly a reality in how we live our lives and fulfill our roles in the home, church and/or school?  I enjoy listening to music while I am traveling.  When I started pondering the questions that my friend posed to me, the chorus of Natalie Grant’s song, More Than Anything, came to my mind.

Help me want the Healer more than the healing
Help me want the Savior more than the saving
Help me want the Giver more than the giving
Help me want you Jesus more than anything

I have listened to those words many times before but for the first time I asked myself do I really want the Healer more than the healing, the Savior more than the saving, or the Giver more than the giving?  Do I want Jesus more than anything else?  I am reminded of Paul’s mindset that was behind all that he did.

But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.  Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know Him… Philippians 3:7-10 (KJV)

What about your life and ministry?  Do you seek Jesus more than anything else?  Maybe an even bigger question is, if not, do you even miss Him?  I am still wrestling with these questions myself!  What are your thoughts?  Share them with others by leaving a comment below.

Nov 26
0

Tradition or Christ?

By | Public Blog

There are some buzzwords and phrases that have caused me great concern over the past several years.  I hear these words from leaders in churches, schools and other ministry organizations.  When these statements are made, they really sound good and something we all should want to pay attention to.  Some of these phrases include:

  • research-based
  • data-driven
  • effective school research
  • research indicates

Before I go any further, I want to say that I find it helpful to keep up with research, polls, surveys and data so that I know some of the trends that are taking place in the world.  However, I am concerned when I hear ministry leaders say that they want to make data-driven decisions and that we must follow the latest trends in ministry based on various studies and research.  Paul cautioned Christians about this in his letter to the Colossians.

Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words.  For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in the spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.  As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.  Beware let anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.  For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.  Colossians 2:4-10 (NKJV)

In another translation it reads, see to it that no one takes you captive.  This is a very strong warning that Paul gives to Christians.  He lets us know that we can be deceived and taken captive by persuasive words that follow human tradition.  I will never forget when my former pastor, Michael Catt, made a statement in a sermon that sent alarm bells off in my mind.  He wasn’t referring to this specific passage of Scripture but my mind immediately went to verse 8 when he stated,

It is easier to be traditional than it is to be biblical!

Wow!  When we base our decisions and practices on the latest data, research or programs, are we merely being taken captive by ideas that are following after human tradition?  We must honestly answer this question, if we want God to bless our lives and our ministries.  It is foundational to all we are and do.

Jesus had some stern words for the religious leaders of his day that relates to this very same topic.  In Matthew 15, the Pharisees and scribes asked Jesus why His disciples broke the tradition of the elders?  Jesus’ answer cut to the core of the issue.

He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?  Matthew 15:3 (NKJV)

Jesus gave a specific example of how their traditions were actually going contrary to Scripture.  He followed this example with a scathing rebuke.

Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. Matthew 15:6 (NKJV)

In another translation of verse 6, it reads that you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition.  Unfortunately, it is easier to do schooling according to human tradition while it is very difficult to do it biblically.  When we look at Christian school education around the world today, we need to ask the question,

Is it being done biblically or are we simply trying to Christianize the human traditions of how schooling is to be done?

When we get down to the basics of what research and data actually are, we would have to realize that research and data are compilations of human opinion on any given subject.  It could be said that research and data may actually deceive us with persuasive words.  Again, I want to be clear that I believe it is important to know what research indicates but any data from research must be filtered through the truth of God’s Word.  Whenever I try to broach this subject with others, some will quickly criticize me and tell me that we must stay up with the times in order to be relevant (I will address this in a future blog) with today’s culture.  That sounds good but, once more, is that saying human opinion and research should be the driving points for how we educate our children and youth?

Here is my challenge for all of us as we look at research and data.  I believe it can be valuable to be data/research-informed but our decisions must be Bible-based and Spirit-driven.  For this to be a reality, we must spend more time in the Word and prayer than in studying the latest research.  We must surrender our lives and our ministries daily to the control of God’s Spirit and make sure our traditions/methods/etc. don’t make God’s commandments of no effect.  I would love to know your thoughts about this very important topic.  Please leave a comment below.

Nov 18
2

It Must Be More Than Just One Day

By | Public Blog, Uncategorized

All across the United States family and friends will gather together on Thursday for fellowship, fun and food.  This is because the third Thursday of November is celebrated as Thanksgiving Day.  There are several other countries that take time during the year to pause and give thanks for all of life’s blessings.  Of course, Thanksgiving Day in America is set aside to give thanks to the Lord for all of the blessings He has bestowed on us throughout our 200+ years of history.  Unfortunately, the true meaning of Thanksgiving Day has been lost in the busyness of football games, travel and, of course, Black Friday sales gimmicks.  As with most Christian holidays  in America, Thanksgiving Day has succumbed to the secular culture.  In fact, some secular history textbooks present the first Thanksgiving as a time when the Colonists met and gave thanks to the Indians for their help as they settled in the New World.  God is completely ignored.

Even though it is good to take one day each year to give thanks to the Lord for all of His rich blessings on our lives, thanksgiving should be a way of life for the Christian.  It isn’t supposed to be something we just do on a national holiday.  Paul makes this clear in many of his letters in the New Testament.  Two specific verses come to my mind when I think about being thankful for what God does for me each and everyday.

 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.  1 Thessalonians 5:18 (KJV)

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.  Philippians 4:6 (KJV)

Recently I sat down and started thinking about how much God has done for me over the course of my life.  Let me share a few of the things for which I am thankful to God.

My Salvation

Sad to say, there are too many days that I allow the urgent to take control of my life and I find myself not consciously being aware of the tremendous price God paid for my salvation.  It goes beyond any human comprehension that the Creator of the universe would give His only Son as a ransom for my sin debt.  When I think about what Christ did for me by laying down His life to redeem me out of sin, it continually amazes me.  It is my desire to never take my salvation for granted but to give God thanks each and every day for this precious gift.

My Family

Next month my wife and I celebrate 50 years of marriage.  Like every marriage, there have been those rough days through which we had to navigate.  But God blessed me with a godly wife who has supported me in everything that God has led me to do.  God also has blessed the two of us with three wonderful children, their spouses and six fantastic grandchildren.  Again, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing but 3 John 4 is so true — There is no greater joy than to hear that your children walk in truth.  I thank God everyday that my three children are walking in truth today.

My Pastors

Sometimes we fail to take time to thank God for the people that God brings into our lives to guide us in the paths He wants us to walk.  I have been overwhelmingly blessed by several pastors who have taught me truth that equipped me for life and ministry.  Spending 16 years under the preaching and leadership of Dr. Jerry Falwell taught me what true faith in God is and how to live by faith each day.  Then sitting under the teaching of Dr. James Merritt and Dr. Glenn Weekly took be deeper into the truths of Scripture.  I also had the privilege to serve with Dr. Michael Catt for nine years at Sherwood Baptist Church.  God used Michael to teach me the importance of prayer in my daily life.  I have also been blessed by the friendships that I have forged with Pastor Mike Lewis at Cathedral of Praise and Pastor James McMenis at Word of God Ministries.  These two men have provided me with biblical counsel and guidance so that my life and ministry would stay focused on Christ.  God has truly blessed me by allowing me to sit under the preaching of such godly men.  One day is not enough to thank Him for providing me with these ministers of God’s Word.

My Mentors

I have also been privileged to serve under and glean from several Christian educators who helped me form a biblical worldview and biblical philosophy of life.  I probably would not have survived being a school leader if it weren’t for the guidance and instruction that I received regularly from Dr. Roy Lowrie, Dr. Jack Layman, Dr. Tony Fortosis, Dr. Gene Garrick, and others.  These men had gone through the trials of leadership and were a source of encouragement and always provided me with a model for what Christ-like, servant leadership looked liked.  A special note of gratitude must go to Dr. Paul Kienel.  He had the courage to take a young Christian school administrator and give him the opportunity to serve Christian schools in 8 Southeast states as Southeast Regional Director of ACSI.  Much of my understanding of kingdom education resulted from Dr. Kienel’s exhortation for me to present a biblical philosophy of education to others.  Again, one day a year is not enough time to thank God for these and other mentors that He has brought into my life over the years.

My Ministry

I have to start by saying that Kingdom Education Ministries really isn’t my ministry — it is His ministry that He allows me to be a part of.  If it were not for God’s leading me that took me to LifeWay Christian Resources, my book, Kingdom Education, would never have been written.  It blows my mind how this little book has been used all around the world to challenge parents, church leaders and Christian educators to follow God’s plan for educating future generations.  Anything I may have been able to accomplish in proclaiming this message to others is due only to the grace of God.  I fully understand the meaning of Jesus’ words in John 15 where His said, without Jesus I can do NOTHING!

My Encouragers

Who are my encouragers?  They are those who receive and read this blog each week.  YOU are one of my encouragers and you do not know what a tremendous blessing you are are to me as you read and share my weekly ramblings with others who want to provide a biblical worldview education to as many children and youth as possible.  There is not a day that goes by that God doesn’t bring to my mind a school leader, a pastor, teacher or fellow laborer in ministry that I have had the privilege of serving and getting to know.  You are in the trenches doing the “grunt” work of putting kingdom education into practice and for that I am eternally indebted and grateful.

I could go on and on listing things for which I must daily give thanks to God.  However, my point for doing this is to encourage all of us to always be thankful for God’s blessings on our lives.  No matter what you and I may face, the truth is that God is at work to make all things good for His glory.  If you live where a specific Thanksgiving Day is observed, by all means take the time to give Him the praise He deserves.  But more importantly, in every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.  Have a blessed week!

Nov 12
1

Was Blamires Right?

By | Public Blog, Uncategorized

I had the privilege of speaking at the BJ Press Worldview Conference at the Creation Museum and Ark Encounter last week.  I came away from the conference encouraged, challenged and convicted.  One of the presentations that brought the most conviction to my spirit was the one given by George Barna.  In his presentation he showed where the country was in relation to a biblical worldview.  Barna noted that:

  • Only 10% of adults in the country have a biblical worldview
  • When this is broken down by age group, only 1 out of every 25 Millennials (4%) have a biblical worldview
  • A child’s worldview is basically formed by age 13
  • The primary parenting generation [and teaching generation in schools] today is the Millennial generation

Barna’s premise was that every person, individually, and groups of individuals, corporately, only do what he/she/they believe!  This means that today’s children have a much higher probability of developing a secular worldview than a biblical one because their teachers can only give them what they, themselves, possess.

Upon returning home, I went to my bookshelves and pulled two books out that address this serious condition that we are facing in today’s Church.  The first book was The Christian Mind: How Should a Chrisitan Think?, by Harry Blamires.  As I opened the pages of this book, that I have read on a couple of occasions, I was taken captive by the first sentence in the book.  It simply states, There is no longer a Christian Mind.  Wow!  Is Blarmires stating that Christians don’t have minds?  Absolutely not.  What he is proposing is that Christians no longer possess the ability to address all of life from a biblical perspective.  In fact, Blamires states unashamedly that the Christian mind has succumbed to the secular drift with a degree of weakness unmatched in Christian History.  He postures that, in Christianity, there is

  • a Christian ethic that Christians subscribe to in their personal lives that non-Christians don’t.
  • a Christian practice that, as members of a church, Christians observe that is ignored by the non-Christian.
  • a Christian spirituality such as prayer and meditation that a Christian might practice that is unexplored by the non-Christian.

However, when it comes to all of life, there is not any Chrisitan thinking commonly taking place.  In Blamires’ mind, most Christians accept the morality, worship and spiritual culture of religion but reject the “religious” view of life.  Christians have succumbed to the secularization of the mind.  This is evidenced by thinking that ignores the supernatural as having any part to play in everyday life.  There are those who will share their grave concerns as to the direction society is going.  In many cases, these concerns are in line with the concerns we, as Christians, have as well.  However, they can only address these issues from a humanistic view and, therefore, cannot begin to address the cause and/or the cure for the direction we are all heading in.  The alarming thing about what Blamires so accurately described is that he wrote this book in 1963.

The second book that I pulled from my book shelves was one written by Os Guinness, written 30 years after Blamires’ book was published.  I must admit that I first bought this book only because of its title — Fit Bodies, Fat Minds.  However, the subtitle of the book is what really caught my full attention the other day.  It reads, Why Evangelicals Don’t Think and What To Do About It.  Again, I found myself asking the question, Is it true that Christians don’t think?  Once again, I had to admit that all Christians think.  That is a reality of life — human beings all think!  So what was Guinness trying to say.  His main premise is that the average Christian no longer has the ability to think Christianly.  The result, according to Guinness is,

Failing to think Christianly, evangelicals have been forced into the role of cultural imitators and adapters rather than originators.  In biblical terms, it is to be worldly and conformist, not decisively Christian.

Guinness goes on to point out how evangelicals take their “religious” life seriously but Christianity does not have much, if any, influence on our everyday, non-religious life.  He makes this point when he writes,

We are a people with a true, sometimes a deep, experience of God.  But we are no longer people of truth.

Blamires and Guinness talk a great deal about “Christian” things.  I struggle with using Christian as an adjective to describe anything related to life today because the term has become so subjective.  What does Christian mean?  What does it mean to have a Christian mind?  What does Guinness mean when he says we need to think Christianly?  I am thankful that Guinness goes on to define what thinking Christianly really means.

…thinking Christianly is thinking by Christians about anything and everything in a consistently Christian way — in a manner that is shaped, directed, and restrained by the truth of God’s Word and God’s Spirit.  (emphasis mine)

This is what needs to take place in our homes, churches and schools if we are going to be able to instill a biblical worldview into the hearts and minds of children and youth.  Barna summarized his findings as he closed his presentation last week by stating,

  • Most parents do not have a biblical worldview and are not seeking to develop one in their children.
  • The media to which our children are exposed do not reflect biblical principles and are not seeking to develop a biblical worldview among our children.
  • A huge majority of Protestant churches do not have ministries that are focused  upon helping to establish a biblical worldview in the minds and hearts of children.
  • Government laws are not geared to facilitating a biblical worldview among children.

Barna then left the attendees with this challenge.

So…who is called to, and capable of, leading movement to lead the development of a biblical worldview in the minds and hearts of America’s children?

I believe the only hope is for Christians to repent of the sin of giving our children to the world for it to develop a secular mindset in them.  Then the home, church and school must unite and address the issue of education biblically!  As Nancy Pearcey puts it in her book, Total Truth,

We have to insist on presenting Christianity as a comprehensive, unified worldview that addresses all of life and reality.  It is not just religious truth but total truth!

Once we do this, we must then be committed to following God’s plan for educating future generations.

Nov 04
2

The Danger of Memory Loss

By | Public Blog, Uncategorized

This past Friday I had the distinct privilege of attending a powerful Veterans Day Program.  I have always enjoyed and been moved at these types of programs over the years.  In fact, one the highlights of my time at Sherwood Christian Academy was participating in our annual Veterans Day Program.  However, Friday’s event was one of the most moving Veterans Day Program I have ever attended.

Vietnam War Memorial

The reason why the program had such an impact on me was because of the men who planned, prepared and presented it.  These men had spent many, many hours planning and putting together the program.  In fact, on display were three tributes to veterans and their sacrificial service to the County.

  • A full-size Willys jeep made out of two pallets of cardboard, 9 gallons of glue, and 3 gallons of paint.  This work took over 750 man-hours and can actually hold a person weighing up to 200 lbs.
  • A detailed replica of the Vietnam War Memorial Wall; complete with the names of the 58,300 US military persons who lost their lives in this war.  This project took over 9000 man-hours, 65 days, and over 3500 lbs. of cardboard.
  • A life-size replica of the Bataan Death March Statue and Walkway.  This project was also constructed out of cardboard and glue.  It even shows the footprints beneath the three figures that represented those prisoners of war that died on the march.

The theme for this Veterans Day Program was Never Forgotten and was a tribute to the more than 80,000 US P.O.W.s and M.I.A.s that still are unaccounted for today.  This is probably the case in other countries where men and women have stood up for freedom and were taken into captivity.  The audience was brought to tears through videos and songs that were performed live by this group of men.  Several pieces, including the songs Never Forgotten, Freedom Flies, Memories and the poem, P.O.W./M/I.A., were written and performed by individuals in this group.

Bataan Death March Statue

I was literally blown-away by the sacrifice and talent that these men put into making this event so meaningful.  This is because the program was held inside Walker State Prison and the men who presented the program were inmates there.  While inside the prison compound, I reflected on the reality that many people, including myself, have forgotten that there are so many P.O.W.s and M.I.A.s that are still unaccounted for from past wars.  The theme, Never Forgotten, was not only a reminder that we cannot forget that men and women never returned home from war and no one knows where they might be but also that there are scores of men and women who are serving time in prisons all across the country whose friends and family members seem to have forgotten them and they are all alone.

Since attending this event, my mind has been meditating on how important it is to remember certain things in life.  Unfortunately, the educational systems of the world have led to many people, including thousands, if not millions, of Christians, to suffer from severe memory loss.  Our children and youth are told that they must remember facts and pieces of knowledge in order to score well on tests, be accepted into the university and have a successful life or career.

However, secular education does not place any importance on remembering the most important thing that every person must keep in the forefront of their minds in order to find peace and joy in all of life. What is the culture and the church not remembering that is so dangerous?  It is the reality that we have forgotten God!  When I began studying what God’s Word says about the dangers that come one’s way when he/she forgets God, I became aware of how important it is that God is at the center of all that we think, say and do; including the education we give our children.  I encourage you to take the time and read what the Bible says about the consequences that will always result from forgetting God.  Here is just a sample of what God’s Word says about this subject.

  • Deuteronomy 6:10-12; 8:10-14; 8:19-20
  • Judges 8:33-34
  • Psalm 50:22; 78:7, 42; 103:2; 106:19-22; 106:13
  • Isaiah 51:12-13
  • Jeremiah 2:31-32
  • Hosea 4:1; 5:4; 13:6

Even though it is terrible when men and women become prisoners of war, it is much more disastrous when they become prisoners because of sin and are bond slaves of Satan.  When people, even Christians, forget God, they always end up in chains.  As I have presented in earlier posts, the real danger of giving our children and youth a secular education is found in the fact that God is ignored in the entire process.  Therefore, even though certain lessons may be factually accurate, God is not seen as being the source of wisdom and knowledge for any study and/or area of life that is studied.  The student develops a secular worldview and lives his/her everyday life as if God doesn’t exist.  This always results in imprisonment.

In my book, Kingdom Education, I present 10 biblical principles that I found in Scripture to help guide Christians on how God wants them to educate their children.  Since writing the book, God has revealed three additional principles to me.  The first of these additional principles is of utmost importance.  It reads:

The education of children and youth must have as its primary focus the increase in the knowledge of God.

Here are some Scriptures to support this principle.

John 17:3; Romans 1:20; Romans 11:33-36; Psalm 19:1-6; Ephesians 1:16-19; 3:15-19; 4:13; Philippians 1:9; 3:8-10, 13-14; Colossians 1:9-10; 2:2-3; 2 Peter 3:18; Proverbs 2:5; Hosea 4:1; 6:6; and 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

Our children are asked to remember a lot of stuff throughout their years in school.  Like you and me, they will forget much of it.  However, we must do everything in our power to make sure that they never forget God.  The best way to make sure this doesn’t happen, is for us to always remember Him.  May God never be forgotten!

Oct 28
2

This Is Important!

By | Public Blog

I seldom address politics in my weekly blogs.  However, it is important that Christians deal with government, including politics, from a biblical worldview.  Jesus told His disciples that they were to be salt and light in their culture.  One of the ways that a disciple of Christ can be salt and light in today’s culture is to be active in the political process. I know that the government is not the answer to our problems and that only God can change lives.  However, we must address all areas of life from a biblical perspective.

We are approaching election day here in the United States and it is my conviction that, as a Christian, I have a moral obligation to make my voice known by voting. However, the problem that many Christians have about the voting process is that they look at this from a dualistic worldview perspective.  They see politics as part of their secular, not their spiritual lives.

When a Christian approaches voting from a secular/sacred divide, he/she ends of doing various things such as:

  • Not voting because they don’t see it as having spiritual meaning and/or importance.
  • Voting for a particular person based on his/her personality.
  • Voting for a political party.
  • Voting for what will give him/her temporal gain.

The reality that we must embrace when performing our civic duty by voting in an election is that we must make our decisions based on a biblical worldview.  When we apply a biblical worldview to the area of politics, we realize that we must cast our vote based on the ideas or worldview that an individual and/or a political party espouses.  Whenever I engage in the voting process, I am choosing what ideas/worldview that I want to direct or control my life and the lives of others in my community, state or country.

As election day draws near, I know that I must not be silent by not voting.  For me, it means that I have to take some extra time to cast my vote as I will be out of town on election day.  But just making sure that I vote is not enough.  I must be willing to take a stand for certain ideas and values that are in line with biblical truth.  Here are some of the basic ideas/values that I will be voting for.

The Sanctity of Human Life

We are witnessing the dire consequences when a society does not hold in high esteem the sanctity of human life.  When the culture rejects the fact that every person is created in the image of God and that life begins at conception (see Psalm 139:13-17; Jeremiah 1:5), human life ceases to have intrinsic value.  Because Christians have not voted to protect the sanctity of human life we have witnessed:

  • Over 60.8 million babies aborted since 1973 which is an average of 1.2 million per year.
  • Mass murders taking place in epic proportions.It is becoming all too common to hear accounts of shootings in crowded movie theaters, army bases, schools, shopping malls, and houses of worship.  Just this past weekend 11 Jewish worshipers were killed while attending their Shabbat services in their local synagogue.
  • An epidemic increase in suicides, murders and doctor assisted deaths.
  • Losing of what it means to be human where gender has become a choice. This results in today’s gender confusion that makes it legal for individuals to use restrooms and/or locker rooms based on their individual gender preference.

The Family

God ordained marriage to be between a man and woman as a picture of the relationship between Jesus and the church.  Marriage is the cornerstone of society as it is through the marriage relationship that families are made.  When Christians are silent or vote against a biblical standard of the marriage relationship, society embraces:

  • Easy divorce that finds divorce rates in “Christian” marriages keeping pace with those of the world.
  • Laws that allow for same-sex marriage.
  • The disintegration of the family which will always lead to the collapse of a civilization.

Religious Freedom

One of the most treasured freedoms we have experienced here in the United States is the freedom to practice one’s religion without intervention by the government.  Once again, by either not voting or voting for people and laws that do not value the freedom of religion, we find ourselves seeing this freedom eroding at a rapid pace.

I recently saw where posters were placed on community trash cans that compared Christians to trash that needs to be kept off of city streets.  Christians who choose to live out their faith in their private businesses have been harassed and even faced criminal charges.

These are just a few of the ideas that I believe God expects His people to support and protect as we engage in the political process.  There are other values that are always at stake in any election.  These include the power of the government verses dependence on God and the support of Israel.

Kyle Idleman gives Christians a strong challenge in his book, “gods” at War.  I believe this is a challenge that every Christian needs to accept at this critical point in our country’s history.  He explains how Joshua told the people of Israel that it was time for each of them to choose a god and worship it.  He clarifies what he meant by the term “god” when he wrote,

It’s time to choose a worldview and let it remake you.

Christians must destroy dualism in their lives.  It is imperative that we choose a biblical worldview and let it remake us into biblically-thinking and biblically-acting citizens.  A great place to start is to make sure that we act as salt and light in this world.  This means we must take the truths of Christianity into the public arena and make our voice heard.  I do not believe that any Christian can allow false ideas and values to control our lives any longer.  Yes, we must vote but we must vote, in every instance, to make sure that the sanctity of human life, God’s design for the family, and the freedom to practice our religion are protected.

We must also become more determined to give our children a biblical worldview education at home, church and school.  The goal of this type of education should be to prepare them to be salt and light when they go out into the world as young adults.  We can model this for our children to see by engaging in all areas of life – including politics – from a biblical worldview ourselves.  This week talk with your children and let them know how privileged we are to live in a country where we can vote and why you vote in a certain way that will take God’s truth into the public arena.

The question is What ideas do you want to control your lives and the lives of your children and grandchildren?  How you answer that question will determine their future.  We can’t afford to answer this wrong.