The Battle of Ideas

Passage of the Week:

2Cor 10. 3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (NIV)

Thought of the Week:

Why do we believe that Christian educators in the public school system are the front line in our spiritual battle? Because the spiritual battle is a battle of ideas. Notice that when the apostle Paul spoke of our warfare, he spoke of “demolishing arguments” and taking thoughts captive. Spiritual strongholds are large belief structures, every building stone of which are a specific lie.

Great News of the Week:

Paul affirmed that we have the power from God to do the job of bringing down false worldview strongholds! We do this by living the truth, affirming the truth at every opportunity, and (here’s our secret weapon) praying the truth into the minds and hearts of our students.

Please Help!

Please help us encourage Christian Educators in our public school districts. You can do this by sending us your insights about teaching in public school. Please also send us the e-mail addresses of teachers who would be willing to get networked with us.

We will never try to sell you anything, we will never ask anyone for money, and we will never share our mailing list with anyone who would.

We also welcome your prayer requests which will be held in strict confidentiality.

Praying that you’ll have a great week at school,
Roderick

The Ultimate Question

Passage of the Week:

Rom. 8.28,29 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren... (NASB)

Thought of the Week:

When I query my students about what they think is the ultimate question, their answers always correspond to one of the seven most important worldview questions of all time. (I’ve listed all seven “ultimate questions” below.) But most people are interested in The Question of Teleology: “What is the purpose and meaning of life?” The hearts of countless people in our world hunger to know what the apostle Paul summed up for us in two verses: God has a purpose for us, and it involves growing into a suitable sibling for His Son! Romans 8.28 and 29 are just the tip of the revelation about our purpose, of course, but my point here is that we have a sense of purpose and destiny that most of the people around us hunger for! Our young students most certainly yearn for that sense of purpose as they grow into their teens. Let’s watch for opportunities to affirm that things happen for a reason and that there is a plan for our lives!

Great News of the Week:

Paul told the Athenians, in Acts 17.26 and 27, that God determined the exact place where everyone should live, knowing the most advantageous place in which any given individual can find Him! It’s no accident that your students live in Pierce County. It’s no accident that you teach in the school that you do. God has a purpose and a plan for guiding you into this very teaching job!

The Seven Ultimate Questions

Ontology: What is the nature of existence and being?
Theology: What is God’s nature and character?
Ethics: What is right and what is wrong?
Teleology: What is the purpose and meaning of life?
Epistemology: Is the universe rational, and if so, what forms of knowledge are reliable?
History: Why is there evil in the world and what is the origin of competing religious explanations?
Happiness: What is the path to greatest fulfillment?

Praying that you’ll have a great week at school!

A Father's Blessing

Passage of the Week:
Prov. 11.11: Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed.

Thought of the Week:
Countless people of our generation struggle inwardly with having never received their father’s blessing. The biblical art of the blessing, performed in antiquity by prophets, priests and parents has been lost in the Church at large, and become utterly unknown in our secular culture. However, the Bible, Jewish culture, history, and life experience all teach us the importance of receiving the blessing of those who have authority in our lives -- and about the struggle that can ensue for children who miss it. This presents a wonderful opportunity for us as teachers: as those with a certain amount of authority in the lives of our students, we will have many opportunities to bless them. How does one bless a student in a public school setting? By following the prompting of the Holy Spirit when the opportunity arises to look a student in the eye and say, “Eric, I believe in you, I think you are a gifted young man of character and that your life is going to make a difference in our world.” A few simple words can change the life a student who is secretly suffering from deep rejection at school or at home.

Great News of the Week:
Moms In Touch are praying for you! Aiaga Nichols who oversees Tacoma’s MIT ministry wrote me about one teacher at Larchmont who cried all the way home and told her husband she was moved to tears because the MIT moms gave her a thank you card, a single rose and a note to tell her they were praying for her. It is good to know someone is praying for you when you start to feel isolated! Find out what Moms In Touch is doing at your school by visiting their website:

http://www.momsintouch.org/

How You Can Help:
If you would like to help us encourage Christian Educators in our public school districts, simply send us the e-mail addresses of teachers who would be willing to get networked with us. Then send us your thoughts to pass on to them. We will never try to sell you anything, we will never ask anyone for money, and we will never share our mailing list with anyone who would.

A teacher affects eternity;
he can never tell where his influence stops.
— Henry B. Adams

The Ministry of Reconciliation

Passage of the Week:
2 Corinthians 5:18-19 (NIV): 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

Thought of the Week:
What does it look like to "live a Christian worldview" at my school? It can be as simple as asking forgiveness of a person I've treated rudely. Most of us live with a bundle of insecurities, and it's hard for us to admit when we're wrong. However, Christ has called us to a life of transparency based on our security in Him. When we've offended a student or co-worker, and take the initiative to make it right, we are illustrating the ministry of reconciliation Christ has given us.

Great News of the Week:
One of the math teachers at Tacoma’s Wilson High School has initiated a weekly before-working-hours prayer meeting for interested school staff. They plan to meet for prayer every Tuesday from 6:40-6:55 a.m.

How You Can Help:
If you would like to help us encourage Christian Educators in our public school districts, simply send us the e-mail addresses of teachers who would be willing to get networked with us. We will never try to sell you anything, we will never ask anyone for money, and we will never share our mailing list with anyone who would.

Praying that you’ll have a great week at school,
Roderick