I was recently listening to my morning inspirational radio show on the way to work (The Border Patrol in 810) and heard Tim Grunhard, former Chiefs All-Pro offensive lineman talking about an experience he had with his daughter at the Kansas state swim meet. In the preliminaries, his daughter swam the fastest time in the 200M individual medley by 4+ seconds ... that is a blowout in a 2-minute race!! However, much to her disappointment, she was disqualified in the final and didn't receive a medal. Tim was talking about her response to this severe disappointment and how he told her "Your response means more to me than any medal or state record could ever mean. The strength of character you are showing tells me that you know what is really important and are ready to handle life's challenges."
Not unlike the story of Jake Dunn, former HCA student, just finishing his Junior year at a Christian school in Colorado. His mom Jodi posted a picture of Jake on the podium shortly after taking second place in the Colorado state track meet. In the photo, in spite of the disappointment, Jake is smiling broadly, congratulating the winner, likely the last thing he felt like doing at the moment. His mom's comment - "This one made me cry when I got it today. Jake lost a race he badly
wanted to win. His smile and sportsmanship with the winner made me one
proud mama. He is a fierce competitor but in the end he has his
priorities in check. I wish I could have been so good. You make us
proud Jake. For God's glory."
These two storied reminded me of an article I recently ready in, of all places, the magazine on Southwest Airlines. Written by Heidi Stevens of the Chicago Tribune, this article entitled In Criticism of Praise addresses the dark side of the "self-esteem movement" - the results of a culture where every achievement is lavished with praise. In this article, she cites a study by Stanford University psychology professor Carol Dweek that shows this practice is actually counter productive. An excerpt from this article (I would encourage you to take the time to read the entire article - it is well worth your time.):
"In the past three decades, parents have turned childhood into a sacred garden i which to plant seeds of self-esteem, cultivate those seeds with enriching endeavors, and fertilize them with heaping helpings of praise. No gesture is too small to escape exhaltation. Every achievement- indeed every movement - is an opportunity to rhapsodize. All this despite clear and mounting evidence that this type of reinforcement is damaging our kids: The more they're called Extra Super Smart Geniuses, the further they go to protect that label - including bowing our of any activity that might challenge their reputation. They stop taking risks, and their intellectual and emotional growth is stunted."
Not all praise is counter-productive - the article distinguishes between outcome-oriented praise and process-orientation praise. While the outcome-orientated variety is potentially destructive, the two real-life examples above are great examples of process-oriented praise, the kind of praise that encourages children to persevere, to accept new challenges - to grow!
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Who knew serving God could be this much fun?
By the time you read this post, I will be on my way to the Dominican Republic, serving with Mrs. Chugg as one of the sponsors for the HCA Senior Missions Trip. We will be working alongside a church there on a variety of children's ministry activities as well as some practical work projects for the church and school there. This will be a life-changing experience for many of this trip.
As I was thinking about this trip, my mind went back to our first Senior Missions Trip in 2003. Up until that time, senior trips had been largely educational/recreational with no emphasis on ministry. The class sponsor of that class was unable to continue during their senior year, so I stepped into that role for the year. I remember meeting with the students and their parents early in the school year and challenging them to think about a radical change ... to view the senior trip as a ministry opportunity. The class embraced the challenge, and in May of 2003 we left for a week of ministry in the Czech Republic.
Three things stand out to me about that trip. The first is God's provision .... This group was late in the fundraising process and had just decided to up the fundraising goal in a significant way. We wrote traditional missions support letters and each day I came to Bible class and updated our total received on the board. It was a joy for the students to see God provide in a tangible way. I also remember a big garage sale we organized in the gym ... I described it this way. "After looking at all the junk in the gym, I expected $1,000, hoped for $2,000, dreamed for $3,000 ... and God provided $4,000!!" At the end of the year, God had provided so abundantly that we paid for the trip and left a $1,000 deposit toward any class that chose a similar ministry trip. That "heritage" lives on!
I also remember the flight home; I had a captive audience, so I distributed a trip reflection for the students to complete on the flight. This included questions such as "What did you learn about God this week?", "What did you learn about yourself this week", etc. I will never forget the answer I got from one student to the question "What surprised you about this trip?" - he responded "I never knew that serving God could be such fun!" I still get chills when I think of that response; if we can get every student to grasp the "joy in serving Jesus" we will have been successful.
Finally, as I look back on that class, I see three young men who are in vocational Christian service, serving as youth pastors. I am confident that this trip was a part of the process God used to call them into this service. In an earlier blog I mentioned a Cardus survey which identified Christian school graduates as the most engaged church members; I believe this kind of experience is part of the reason for that.
Please pray for us this week as we minister to the people of the Dominican Republic and as God ministers to us through them.
As I was thinking about this trip, my mind went back to our first Senior Missions Trip in 2003. Up until that time, senior trips had been largely educational/recreational with no emphasis on ministry. The class sponsor of that class was unable to continue during their senior year, so I stepped into that role for the year. I remember meeting with the students and their parents early in the school year and challenging them to think about a radical change ... to view the senior trip as a ministry opportunity. The class embraced the challenge, and in May of 2003 we left for a week of ministry in the Czech Republic.
Three things stand out to me about that trip. The first is God's provision .... This group was late in the fundraising process and had just decided to up the fundraising goal in a significant way. We wrote traditional missions support letters and each day I came to Bible class and updated our total received on the board. It was a joy for the students to see God provide in a tangible way. I also remember a big garage sale we organized in the gym ... I described it this way. "After looking at all the junk in the gym, I expected $1,000, hoped for $2,000, dreamed for $3,000 ... and God provided $4,000!!" At the end of the year, God had provided so abundantly that we paid for the trip and left a $1,000 deposit toward any class that chose a similar ministry trip. That "heritage" lives on!
I also remember the flight home; I had a captive audience, so I distributed a trip reflection for the students to complete on the flight. This included questions such as "What did you learn about God this week?", "What did you learn about yourself this week", etc. I will never forget the answer I got from one student to the question "What surprised you about this trip?" - he responded "I never knew that serving God could be such fun!" I still get chills when I think of that response; if we can get every student to grasp the "joy in serving Jesus" we will have been successful.
Finally, as I look back on that class, I see three young men who are in vocational Christian service, serving as youth pastors. I am confident that this trip was a part of the process God used to call them into this service. In an earlier blog I mentioned a Cardus survey which identified Christian school graduates as the most engaged church members; I believe this kind of experience is part of the reason for that.
Please pray for us this week as we minister to the people of the Dominican Republic and as God ministers to us through them.
Monday, April 6, 2015
The Bright Side of Technology
Last week Heritage Christian Academy hosted Brad Huddleston of Dark Side of Technology for a parent/student seminar addressing some of the dangers/challenges presented by technology. Brad, noting recent research on the addictive nature of technology, challenged the those in attendance to develop a balanced approach toward technology for their families. He reminded us of Paul's exhortation in I Corinthians 6:12 - "All thing as lawful for me, but I will not be dominated by anything."
The challenges Brad addressed are real, and the message he brings is one that is needed in our day. But I can't help but think of another side of technology, a "bright side of technology", that I recently had reason to be thankful for. One of the most powerful tools available in the technology toolbox is something I am taking advantage of right now - the blog. Blogs give a voice to people who might otherwise not have a voice. No longer are publishing companies (newspapers, book publishers) or broadcast companies (radio or television) the gatekeepers of information and ideas. Now anyone with a computer and internet connection has a potential voice. Of course, that in itself, gives rise to a host of problems - misinformation, hateful or wicked content, etc- but it also provides Christians the opportunity to express truth to a vast audience. Let me highlight the blog contribution of three former students I recently came across; I love hearing their heart for Jesus.
Jordan (Huston) Carlsen, currently mother to three and wife of a youth pastor, actually introduced me to social media during the early of days of MySpace, before the days of Facebook. Jordan began a site for fellow students where she would often post discussion topics of a Biblical nature and encourage here fellow students to respond. I would "lurk" on that site, many times encouraged and challenged by the depth of insight expressed by Jordan and others. Jordan has shared posts from her personal blog on Facebook from time to time; her blog is currently on hiatus as her family is transitioning to a new ministry. Here is a sample of her voice from a couple of years ago.
Ruthie Burrell is a recent graduate of Taylor University and is currently working as a free lance writer in a variety of roles. One of those roles is her own personal blog. Here is a sample from her blog I shared on Facebook when she posted it, a transparent reminder that we can't earn God's love.
Most recently I came across this post by Kaleigh Adkins. Kaleigh is currently studying Elementary Education at Pensacola Christian College and is one of the contributors to a blog creatively entitled BeYOUtiful In Christ. They express the purpose of their blog this way: "God has placed a passion in our hearts for young women to help them see the beauty within themselves; the beauty that comes from Christ. Serving our Creator, our purpose is to help young ladies see that in their Father's eyes, they are flawless." We have used this post from Kaleigh with our own students at HCA.
This is truly the "bright side of technology", God giving these lovely ladies a voice to share His truth.
The challenges Brad addressed are real, and the message he brings is one that is needed in our day. But I can't help but think of another side of technology, a "bright side of technology", that I recently had reason to be thankful for. One of the most powerful tools available in the technology toolbox is something I am taking advantage of right now - the blog. Blogs give a voice to people who might otherwise not have a voice. No longer are publishing companies (newspapers, book publishers) or broadcast companies (radio or television) the gatekeepers of information and ideas. Now anyone with a computer and internet connection has a potential voice. Of course, that in itself, gives rise to a host of problems - misinformation, hateful or wicked content, etc- but it also provides Christians the opportunity to express truth to a vast audience. Let me highlight the blog contribution of three former students I recently came across; I love hearing their heart for Jesus.
Jordan (Huston) Carlsen, currently mother to three and wife of a youth pastor, actually introduced me to social media during the early of days of MySpace, before the days of Facebook. Jordan began a site for fellow students where she would often post discussion topics of a Biblical nature and encourage here fellow students to respond. I would "lurk" on that site, many times encouraged and challenged by the depth of insight expressed by Jordan and others. Jordan has shared posts from her personal blog on Facebook from time to time; her blog is currently on hiatus as her family is transitioning to a new ministry. Here is a sample of her voice from a couple of years ago.
Ruthie Burrell is a recent graduate of Taylor University and is currently working as a free lance writer in a variety of roles. One of those roles is her own personal blog. Here is a sample from her blog I shared on Facebook when she posted it, a transparent reminder that we can't earn God's love.
Most recently I came across this post by Kaleigh Adkins. Kaleigh is currently studying Elementary Education at Pensacola Christian College and is one of the contributors to a blog creatively entitled BeYOUtiful In Christ. They express the purpose of their blog this way: "God has placed a passion in our hearts for young women to help them see the beauty within themselves; the beauty that comes from Christ. Serving our Creator, our purpose is to help young ladies see that in their Father's eyes, they are flawless." We have used this post from Kaleigh with our own students at HCA.
This is truly the "bright side of technology", God giving these lovely ladies a voice to share His truth.
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Kids Who Don't Leave the Church
I recently came across an article on FaithIt.com entitled 3 Common Traits of Youth Who Don't Leave the Church. (This seemed a fitting follow up to my most recent blog post, Where Are the Future Leaders?) In this article, written primarily to an audience of youth leaders, the author identifies three characteristics of youth who remain engaged in their faith into adulthood. Those traits are:
Converted - The author uses the term "unconverted evangelicals" to describe youth who have grown up in the church, learned the church culture and language, and are actively doing all kinds of church stuff. And this no less true of youth in Christian schools; it is just another part of Christian culture to acclimate to. I have often likened this to an inoculation, the process of giving a weakened form of a disease in order to prevent infection by the disease. Youth are exposed to the culture which can "inoculate" them to their need of a Savior. Toward that end, the author exhorts us to be
"praying fervently for the miraculous work of regeneration to occur in the hearts and souls of our students by the power of the Holy Spirit."
Equipped - Ephesians 4:11-12: "[Christ] gave teachers to equip the saints for the work of the ministry." Here the author issues a call to be "growing churchmen and churchwomen who are equipped to teach, lead, and serve." I would add to that a call to train youth with a Biblical worldview, to be able understand and articulate how their faith in Christ informs their walk in every arena of life.
Modeled - Here the author addresses the critical role of the home in all this, saying that "the common thread that binds together almost every ministry-minded 20-something that I know is abundantly clear: a home where the gospel was not peripheral but absolutely central ... In general, children who are led in their faith during their growing-up years by parents who love Jesus vibrantly, serve their church actively, and saturate their home with the gospel completely, grow up to love Jesus and the church."
As I read this, I was struck that much like the old three-legged milking stool, all three elements are required: God's role in conversion, the church's and school's role in equipping, and the parents' role in modeling. Of course, their is some overlap in the last two roles, but it simply reinforces the conclusion of that passage in Ephesians 4 - "We are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
Converted - The author uses the term "unconverted evangelicals" to describe youth who have grown up in the church, learned the church culture and language, and are actively doing all kinds of church stuff. And this no less true of youth in Christian schools; it is just another part of Christian culture to acclimate to. I have often likened this to an inoculation, the process of giving a weakened form of a disease in order to prevent infection by the disease. Youth are exposed to the culture which can "inoculate" them to their need of a Savior. Toward that end, the author exhorts us to be
"praying fervently for the miraculous work of regeneration to occur in the hearts and souls of our students by the power of the Holy Spirit."
Equipped - Ephesians 4:11-12: "[Christ] gave teachers to equip the saints for the work of the ministry." Here the author issues a call to be "growing churchmen and churchwomen who are equipped to teach, lead, and serve." I would add to that a call to train youth with a Biblical worldview, to be able understand and articulate how their faith in Christ informs their walk in every arena of life.
Modeled - Here the author addresses the critical role of the home in all this, saying that "the common thread that binds together almost every ministry-minded 20-something that I know is abundantly clear: a home where the gospel was not peripheral but absolutely central ... In general, children who are led in their faith during their growing-up years by parents who love Jesus vibrantly, serve their church actively, and saturate their home with the gospel completely, grow up to love Jesus and the church."
As I read this, I was struck that much like the old three-legged milking stool, all three elements are required: God's role in conversion, the church's and school's role in equipping, and the parents' role in modeling. Of course, their is some overlap in the last two roles, but it simply reinforces the conclusion of that passage in Ephesians 4 - "We are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Where Are the Future Leaders?
In his 2006 book, provocatively titled The Last Christian Generation, Josh McDowell addresses a crisis facing churches today. He quotes surveys from Barna and others that indicate that 70% or more of "churched youth" will find that the church will play a part in their lives when they leave home ... some put that number as high as 90%! (page 13). McDowell believes the solution lies in "revealing to this generation who Christ really is and then leading them to properly respond to him." (page 69) To do that, he believes we need to change our educational model. Note what he says as he relates the Hebrew model of education found in Deuteronomy 6:
The goal of the Hebrew model is not mere memorization of repeatable facts; the goal (as Moses made clear) is to live out the truth. In this approach, truth is designed to lead to transformation. Truth in this educational approach is to be learned by practicing it in real life. According to the Hebrew model, the student has not "learned" a thing when he or she can repeat it to the teacher; it is learned when it is reflected in the student's life. In this approach the testing is in the living. The question becomes not whether the student has the information correctly stuffed into his or her head, but rather "how has the truth transformed the student (emphasis added) attitudinally and behaviorally?"
Without using the phrase, McDowell is essentially describing the mission/vision of the Christian school. In the HCA Student Outcomes document, we say that "a Christian education is, therefore, one that not only teaches students the truths of each academic discipline, but also shows students how and why each truth is part of a larger holistic Truth that encompasses all of reality and reflects God's nature. A Christian education must also equip students to live in the light of that reality so that Truth is not something they simply know intellectually but actually informs the choices they make. This involves more than information--it involves instilling wisdom so that a student's whole being is engaged and influenced by God's Truth."
Where are the future leaders coming from? The Cardus Education Survey (2011) studied students in public, private, Catholic, Protestant, and home schools on a variety of measure. Most interesting was their conclusion concerning church leadership. After looking at measures like attendance, giving, volunteerism, commitment to an infallible Bible, participation in missions trips, they singled out Protestant Christian schools, reaching the following conclusion: "It is clear that the graduates of Protestant Christian school are ideal church members in many ways ... the Protestant Christian school is having an impact on how its graduates participate in church life." (page 20).
The future leaders of our churches are sitting in classrooms of our Christian schools today ... truth that transforms.
The goal of the Hebrew model is not mere memorization of repeatable facts; the goal (as Moses made clear) is to live out the truth. In this approach, truth is designed to lead to transformation. Truth in this educational approach is to be learned by practicing it in real life. According to the Hebrew model, the student has not "learned" a thing when he or she can repeat it to the teacher; it is learned when it is reflected in the student's life. In this approach the testing is in the living. The question becomes not whether the student has the information correctly stuffed into his or her head, but rather "how has the truth transformed the student (emphasis added) attitudinally and behaviorally?"
Without using the phrase, McDowell is essentially describing the mission/vision of the Christian school. In the HCA Student Outcomes document, we say that "a Christian education is, therefore, one that not only teaches students the truths of each academic discipline, but also shows students how and why each truth is part of a larger holistic Truth that encompasses all of reality and reflects God's nature. A Christian education must also equip students to live in the light of that reality so that Truth is not something they simply know intellectually but actually informs the choices they make. This involves more than information--it involves instilling wisdom so that a student's whole being is engaged and influenced by God's Truth."
Where are the future leaders coming from? The Cardus Education Survey (2011) studied students in public, private, Catholic, Protestant, and home schools on a variety of measure. Most interesting was their conclusion concerning church leadership. After looking at measures like attendance, giving, volunteerism, commitment to an infallible Bible, participation in missions trips, they singled out Protestant Christian schools, reaching the following conclusion: "It is clear that the graduates of Protestant Christian school are ideal church members in many ways ... the Protestant Christian school is having an impact on how its graduates participate in church life." (page 20).
The future leaders of our churches are sitting in classrooms of our Christian schools today ... truth that transforms.
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
True Leadership
"True greatness, true leadership, is achieved not by reducing men to one's service but in giving onself in selfless service to them."
J Oswald Sanders in Spiritual Leadership
When HCA was established four years ago, one of our first priorities was to develop opportunities for students at HCA to be actively involved in service outside the school itself. Toward that end, I met regularly with several moms who were passionate about this topic, and it quickly became evident we wanted to find a way for the students to develop long-term discipleship relationships through this service, not just a series of one-shot projects.
In God's providence, a new ministry was starting in Johnson County seeking to reach out to the unreached ... a ministry with a "neighbor's heart - taking Jesus to people in need by extending help and hope." As we talked with the leadership of this new ministry, Mission Southside, it became clear that a partnership would be mutually beneficial. In the spring of 2011, we began a student-led discipleship ministry to a group of elementary students in a local community. Every Wednesday afternoon for the past four years, HCA students travel through this community on one of the HCA buses and pick up kids as they arrive home from school. After arriving at a local church which has generously provided their facility, these students lead a Bible study and activity time for these elementary students.
This is truly a student-led ministry. They prepare the weekly Bible studies, plan the activities, promote special events, and basically "love on" these kids each week. They recruit students from HCA to participate and even disciple their own leaders to take their place when they graduate. The current leaders have all "come up through the ranks" ... Listen to them as they share a little of their passion for this ministry.
"More than anything else, I love seeing the smiling faces on the students as they see our bus arrive; they are so excited to see us. It is so gratifying when we can see them grasping the Bible story, asking questions, being involved ... It makes it worth going every week." Senior Emily Hocker
"I go because of the kids; I feel like I'm making a difference in their lives. It's exciting to see growth in the kids that have been coming for four years. I recently heard of one of "our kids" who was sharing from the Bible at lunch in her own school! That's why we are doing this." Senior Jared Finley
"My passion is to see the kids respond to the message of Jesus for the first time. It's powerful to think that we can be a part of that. It has also really helped me look outside of my self. There is so much brokenness in the families in this community; the one-on-one time with the kids helps me put myself in their shoes." Junior Adam Asselta
This is "true leadership" in action!
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Just Say "NO" to Negativity
I recently came across a blog post by Square2Square marketing where they talked about the power of negative marketing. Among their conclusions were that "negative emotions are always the strongest ones" and that "we can't ignore the fact that negative emotions are the strongest drivers of
behavior." They pointed to a study in the Harvard Business Review that noted that the top three "viral emotions" in marketing strategy are anger, disgust, and surprise. It works!
So the negativity works in campaigns. But we also have learned that negativity doesn't work for governing. That reminds me of a change in approach I took many years ago when talking to people about the value of Christian school education. People often give their reasons for considering Christian education in terms of what they don't want ... "I don't want <fill in the blank> that I will find at the public school." At the point, I gently turn the discussion to talking about what is positive about Christian education ... what we do want. At a Christian school, students are taught to view every discipline from a Biblical worldview, a "real world" education. Students are taught and mentored by godly Christian teachers, passionate about discipling the next generation of Christian leaders. The Cardus Education Survey found that Christian school students are uniquely prepared to be productive members of their local churches. Every child is seen as a unique creation, formed in the image of God to be respected and nurtured. This whole positive approach is well articulated in this post by James K.A. Smith, professor of philosophy at Calvin College.
Consider what Christian school education has to offer ... I'm "positive" you will be impressed!
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