Shootings

Still another school shooting. America is not lacking for enemies abroad, but here, in our heartland, in the most pastoral of settings, among the most humble and God fearing, violence stalks the young and the innocent in a most brutal fashion. Within the hour, word travels along the hallways of our little world of insanity loosed and lives ended. The outrageousness of it propels the news even faster and causes us to cringe at the knowledge that those we love are equally as vulnerable. Never before would a mother pray that her children would hurry, grow up, and graduate so that they would be out of harm’s way. Now it is so.

The riddle of predicting these increasing spasms of violence is unknowable. In fact, it seems to happen in the places least expected. The innocent become victims more often than those for whom any shred of reason could reveal cause. It would almost seem that the days of Isaiah are upon us where the valiant ones cry, the ambassadors of peace weep bitterly, the highways lay waste, the wayfaring man ceaseth, the covenant is broken, and there is no regard for man (Isa. 33:7-8). We can no longer nurse the false hope that what we are witnessing are isolated and unrelated incidents. The insanity has become and,indeed, is nationwide, commonplace, and endemic to our culture.

So what do we do? Americans are notorious for wanting to fix things. It is rooted in our heritage of Yankee ingenuity. And now, refined by layers of education and technology, we want to find a cure for everything. There will be much reflecting in the days to come and a few will even dare to propose preventatives. But the most notable thing about this phenomena overall is the prevailing sense of helplessness that most folks feel; politicians and policemen included. We know deep down that there is little we can do as a society to deter the determined.

Isaiah describes in lurid detail his world gone mad and upside down. But he also knows the fear that grips the righteous and speaks to their anxiety. Amidst the destruction of all that they had known and relied upon for security and well-being, he speaks for God and tells the people that “wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times” and “the fear of the Lord is your treasure.” I do treasure the reign of law in this country and also the general sense of Christian values that still linger on in our culture even when their source is denied. I treasure the commitment of law-abiding citizens and policemen who are ready to lay down their lives for my safety. I treasure my rights guaranteed by my government and a free press to expose evil. But when all those things are trumped by a madman with a gun (or a madwoman exploiting her underage male students), I realize just how little stands between myself and utter chaos.

It is then that I must come back to learn to treasure the fear of the Lord. It is He who will one day rise and be exalted as the great judge and devouring fire. It is He who will burn the peoples as thorns and strike fear into sinners and surprise into hypocrites. Those that are far off will hear and those who are near will acknowledge -- His might. But who can live with a God of such awesome power? He that walks righteously and speaks uprightly; he that despises the gain of oppressions and does not take bribes; he who does not plot the spilling of blood and who shuts his eyes from seeing evil.

In this world, we will have tribulation, but we know a power that has overcome this world, and nothing or no one can take that from us. Our destiny and that of our children is fixed. Pass the word.

Average?

I don’t always get to, but I always enjoy hearing the latest news from Lake Woebegon where “all the men are strong, the women good looking, and the children are all above average.” Or are they? And if I were to write the news from Lake CFC, would I characterize our children as “all above average?” Would I even want to? Certainly, it is a truth that no one wants to be known as “average.” That would be a great stigma dropping from the sky likely to spook the Chicken Little in all of us.

For some reason or other, we have had a lot of conversation lately about how fast our children should be progressing. Are they at or above grade level? Are they exceptional children who should be challenged to go even faster? Are we, as a school, ahead of the pack and setting the standard? I even had a teacher ask point blank last week if CFC has aspirations to be an “elite” school. And if so, would that be by virtue of our clientele or, instead, a conscious choice on our part?

If you must know, the word “elite” makes me just as nervous as the word “average.” It exudes an exclusive quality that implies a sense of superiority and narrows one’s goals and admissions policy. Some folks love the label and strive with all their might to earn it. I run from it. To be an “elite” school says that we are here to serve a certain spectrum of student and have consciously chosen to do so. We would harness our wagon to those who want to excel in a narrow range of academics that others could not hope to attain.

On the other hand, excellence is a Godly virtue that we exalt and hold high. Whatever our hands find to do, we are to do with all our might to the glory of God. Slothfulness is to be condemned and shunned. Mediocrity is never an acceptable sacrifice.

So what is CFC to be known for? Accelerated academics or other intangibles? This may sound like a broken record but Scripture says that wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. Jesus did not pick his motley set of disciples based upon SAT test scores. Nor did He minister to the educated elite of his day. Jesus’ ministry to children was not to tell them that their future hope lie in a college diploma. We live in a culture that is obsessed with knowledge and education. A high school diploma is viewed as a cure all by our government. The only key to prosperity is to be a player in the information age. I would caution that we not accept unquestionably the popular values of our age. Even secular experts are now saying that self-discipline in children is a bigger indicator of future success than IQ or test scores.

If CFC is, indeed, “better than public schools,” I trust that it will be because it is a safer place, a more caring community, and infused with kingdom values. Those values include doing one’s best but also means that there is a place for every child; even “average” ones. If in God’s house there is a place for the sparrow, that most common of birds, to build her nest, then surely there is place and time for the most average of students to progress at a most average of pace within CFC. For after all, the race is not to the swift nor the battle to the strong.