the heart

“I will bring the blind by a way they did not know.” ~Isaiah 42:16

Mily Cyrus is portrayed on the cover of Parade magazine this week as an emerging teen who declares with new found certainty, “I know who I am.” We would only pray that this is as true as it is remarkable. I certainly had no idea of who I was at 17 and still struggle at age 65. Just who am I? I am afraid I have much more in common with the Apostle Paul than I do with Mily Cyrus. Paul, that mighty defender of the faith, openly admitted, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.”

I have a young friend who is one of those folks who has the appearance of polish and success written all over him. He is an educated professional with a wife and newborn child. Together they radiate the model young Christian family. Well-mannered, well-spoken, prosperous, athletic looks, and knowledgeable in all manner of Scriptural truth, he epitomizes for me any young man’s dream or ambition. He shared with me his story-book upbringing in a Christian home in the hills of West Virginia where he spent every Sunday in church and where he met his wife-to-be as a teenager in the church nursery. He says he was raised in “Mayberry” and was every bit the good son that would conform in such a setting. Yet he looks back and declares that as a young man he was every bit a rank sinner that was fully headed for and deserving of hell. It was his own secret self that was out of control that could also admit with Paul of being the chief of sinners. I sat a bit stunned at hearing this self-deprecating description. The disparity of image and truth jangled my sensibilities.

I am always intrigued by the spiritual journey stories when interviewing new families as they join with us here at school. Many of them indicate they have dull testimonies because of having accepted Christ at a young age in a Christian home. Indeed, a dull testimony is what you desire for your children as well. We would not wish the heartbreak of a prodigal-come-home testimony on anyone. The risk and pain is too great. Yet, I have come to understand that all of us who name the name of Christ, no matter of age or experience, have been fished out of the miry pit of sin by the grace of God. We were all standing in the cesspool of lost-ness, alone and covered in guilt, totally unworthy of any merit or favor. We may have been the elder brother who stayed at home, but we were as equally in need of a savior as any who have traveled to a distant land to waste our substance in riotous living “…for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”

I think it is easy to become confused as to who we actually are. Those of us who have lived the straight life all these years can easily grow comfortable with our middle-class, respectable selves and assume a creeping smugness that belies our actual nature. Jeremiah laments that the human heart is desperately wicked, who can know it? Such a picture of who we actually are is not popular or cheerful. It kind of reminds us of Jonathon Edwards’ sermon, “Sinners in the hands of an angry God,” a picture or message we do not necessarily enjoy. While I would dare suggest that Edwards rename his message, “Sinners in the hands of a just and holy God,” I think he had the rest quite right. We are all quite deserving of eternal damnation. This perspective should do two things for us. It should help us bear a posture of true humility as those who have “nothing in our hands to bring.” Secondly, it should renew within us a sense of profound joy that we, who were lost, have now been found. Though we were blind, we now can see.

It should also make us fully aware that our children, though good and pleasant and obedient on the outside, still need a new heart and a cleansing that only God can give. And when they blow it, we should not be shocked. They are, like we, emerging from the pit and the miry clay of sin into which they were born. That is the real truth of who we are and the most vital truth of all.

The Rivers Edge Advantage

“A perverse man sows strife” -Pro. 16:28

You have been there and known the difference.  It may have been a class,
a work place, or even church where you noticed a huge shift in the general
atmosphere within a short period of time after a change of just a few
personnel within that group. It sometimes happens when even one
particular person leaves that the whole demeanor of the group changes
for the better. There is greater openness, more laughter, and even
episodes of joy break out where there was always a bitter edge to the
relationships afore.  It demonstrates the power of one.  Scripture proclaims
that where there is no talebearer, strife ceases (Pro. 26:20).  Sinful
attitudes on the part of a few have a way of reaching out and contaminating
the mood and tone of a whole group.

I remember a number of episodes where group dynamics shifted dramatically
within a short period of time and affected my feelings and attitudes.  The first
involved my high school church youth group.  As a teen-ager, I grew up in a
relatively small church with a peer group of about 20 youth.  Many of them were
related but more importantly, they were secretly living a double life style.  They
did their churchly duties in deference to their parent’s wishes, but at school and
away from church, they were flirting with all the worldly stuff that they could get
away with.  Church youth activities were thus laced with ambivalent feelings on
my part.  It was not a safe or accepting place, and God was definitely not the
center of interest.  I felt estranged and alone.  After I was off at college, the
makeup of the youth group changed dramatically as youth groups are wont to do.
I found myself sucked in whenever I was home and during the summers.  We
became a family and even the least of these was affirmed in some way or another. 
Those friendships continue to this day.

As a young boy, my parents moved to a farm in rural Illinois, and I found myself at a
one-room country school with four grades.  After acclimating, I experienced a
tremendously bonded group of children who affirmed one another in many ways.
I enjoyed school and looked forward to the studies that were quite up to speed in
spite of the many limitations that such a situation entails.  Well, good things like
that can not be allowed to continue, and so the county built a brand new junior high
school and bussed us all to town each day.   Hence, my 7th and 8th grade years
found me swimming in a social pool that was downright terrifying at times.  It
colored my whole middle school experience and was less than satisfying in many
ways.

Many parents at the middle and high school years right now are puzzling as to the
best academic path for their students. We live in a highly competitive age, and we
want to give our students the best edge possible.  But I urge any in this category
to think in terms of the learning environment as well as all of the course offerings
that a school such as Farragut High School could afford.  A student’s performance
can be colored by the dynamic of the group that inhabits any particular class.  I
first learned to love History because of a friendship with another student who
relished with me the chance to discuss the subject matter and the teacher’s
eccentricities.

We, at River’s Edge, have a vision for our new high school that it become a place
where like-minded students will be able to bond and form positive friendships
that will color their attitudes towards the subject matter in a positive direction. For
this purpose, we hope to involve students together in activities ranging from
student government to mission trips. We desire to create a place where students
feel safe from ridicule, worldly peer pressure, and negative attitudes. But more
than that, we desire to bring students together who actually enjoy the challenge
of math, who have a love for the arts, or who delight in literature.  The right kind of
student chemistry can be priceless in developing a passion for learning,
something that will seldom happen in a place where students feel threatened or
burdened with hostile forces arrayed around them.  Our new school will be small
but that can turn into a tremendous advantage as we recruit students who are
people of passion and character.  It is the River’s Edge advantage. 

Twenty Questions

The Twenty Most Pressing Issues to be Faced by the Next Generation

1. Law, culture, and politics: Will the homosexual lifestyle become a protected sub-group with all who speak against it be deemed guilty of ‘hate speech?’ Is there room for religious based knowledge in the public square? What will happen when all religious views are excluded from public life? What is the true definition of “religious freedom” enshrined in our Constitution? What does the separation of church and state really stem from?

2. Education I: It says in Daniel 12.4 that "people will be running to and fro and knowledge shall be increased". Then Paul says in II Timothy 3:7 that people will be "ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth". So from that perspective, I think we should be concerned with "What to teach and how to teach it" as educators. What can we teach that will enable our students to be able to "discern between good and evil" and what do they need to know to avoid "the tree of knowledge of good and evil". These are deep issues with no simple solution.

3. Education II: Will the public schools destroy themselves on the opposing priorities of raising standards and insuring that all students graduate? What will Christians do in the face of this protracted stalemate?

4. Technology I: the kids of this generation have instant communication and know all kinds of things that grandparents don't know. How will we control the influx of knowledge that they are receiving from all of these devices? And should we?

5. Technology II: Although we are able to communicate instantly from almost anywhere in the world, we are an increasingly isolated people. How do we balance this “time for which we are fitted and chosen”? We must keep fellowship with God and His believers, we must battle all of the increasing lures of time and resources, and, yet, we must remain sane while doing so.

6. Technology III: King Solomon said, “There is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which it may be said, ‘See, this is new’? It has been in ancient times before us. ” Perhaps modern challenges are, at the core, not new challenges, just restated, rehashed problems of old in somewhat different scenarios. Technological development has a way of magnifying what is already in the human heart. It is a means of enhancing the capabilities of man to promote good or evil in a swifter, more efficient, more effective manner, to make one either more productive or more destructive. Technological development, while benign in and of itself towards good and evil, most certainly has an impact. Technological development changes the scenario so that exercising the sin nature is relatively easy and effortless, perhaps as easy as pressing a button. However, the same technology can be used to promote God’s truth to the world in a more efficient manner than has ever been possible before. One person, regardless of age, money, or influence can be a world missionary from his own home. I propose that a worthy challenge we have as a generation is, “How can we use the technological resources available to us in creative ways, to impact this generation for Jesus Christ?” and “What dangers do technological development present to us because of the nature of the human heart?”

7. Environment I: The synergistic effects of multiple contaminants on the human body and environment. (In layman's terms, we have some understanding of how single contaminants impact us and the environment at different concentrations but how do they work together to impact us when they are mixed and what effect do different mixes have on impacted individuals).

8. Environment II: What is the true impact of humans on our environment and how should that affect the regulations that govern our lives. (The global warming issue falls under this question but it is much broader than that single issue.)

9. Culture and faith: “How do we teach and strengthen our faith and dependence on God when we live in a society of gross over abundance?” He has been to Ukraine a couple of times on mission trips. He is awed by how much they do and how happy they are with so few resources. A friend of our living in Ukraine has told us more than once that when a Ukrainian moves to the States, their faith often dies.

10. Economic: If and when the economy collapses in some way or another under the crushing load of debt currently being amassed, how will our children survive and flourish? How can we best achieve financial independence for families in a world economy founded on unstable premises? How much of the world’s system do we buy into and how creative do we need to be in regard to education and job training?

11. Science and sociology: What does it mean to be “human” and what, if any, distinguishing features and rights separate us from the animal kingdom?

12. Culture and politics: What foundational principles are at risk when we elevate diversity as a supreme value as opposed to the Christian consensus upon which this country was based?

13. Medicine and politics I: What protections need to be placed upon human life? How has legalized abortion affected our attitudes towards the sanctity of all human life? Can we contain our schizophrenic viewpoints without a total breakdown of the American health-care ethos?

14. Medicine and politics II: What will be the future of medical care in view of its spiraling costs, government interdiction, and uncontained litigation? Can we manage to find a creative, affordable, and compassionate alternative for our families and the body of Christ?

15. Culture and Faith: Pornography has become one of our major industries, and its allure and ease of access has penetrated nearly every home in America at some point in time. Can we stem this tide personally or as a nation, and can we rescue marriages, families, and the participants in this deadly trade from enslavement and destruction?

16. World politics: What will be the ultimate result of the push for a global economy and one-world culture? Is nationalism totally dead? Are cultural differences real or imagined?

17. Culture and religion: How can we reclaim generations of children raised without fathers and turn their hearts toward the Heavenly Father? How can we uphold the standard of the sanctity and inviolate status of marriage and extend compassion to the single parents laboring under heavy burdens of raising children by themselves? How do we balance mercy and truth in this tender sphere?

18. Culture and politics: How do we retain any cultural, legal, and political identity as a nation when immigration continues to be largely uncontrolled? What forces are actively arrayed against controlled and restricted immigration policies? What will the face of our country look like 50 years from now? Are there any redemptive aspects of this shift in population make-up?

19. Economic growth, population: How will the declining birth rates remake the countries of the world and change the economic balance of world power?

20. Religion: Who will win the battle for the hearts and minds of the 10-40 window of world populations: Christianity or Islam? Will Islam continue its aggressive expansion or wither in the face of rapid communications growth?

Questions

“Then there arose a question between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purifying.” -KJV John 3:25

Education, like youth, is wasted on the young, or so the saying goes. Like any proverb, there is an element of truth present that makes rebuttal difficult. I must admit that much of my education was poured upon me at an age when my maturity level was largely impervious to either truth or the disciplines necessary for mastery. In today’s educational jargon, we would use the word “readiness” to describe that state of being where a child is actually ready or not ready to receive the assigned lessons.

A painful memory for me comes from my senior year in high school when, for one reason or another, I decided to pick up the book, “The Brothers Karamazov” by Dostoyevsky and read it just for fun. Now there is an oxymoron for you: reading a Russian novel “just for fun.” I am not sure it can be done. Russian novels are always daunting especially as the progression of characters passes the two dozen mark. Yet, there I was, proudly carrying a black paperback copy around school and earnestly pressing my way through it. To my credit, I actually finished it. The trouble is that I could never tell you what it was really about. I was driven more by vanity and show rather than any intellectual pursuit of truth. I loved the reaction from teachers and other students who were so duly impressed by my literary tastes. It was a totally hollow experience.

In high school, I was simply and totally unprepared for the questions and issues raised in the book. Now, I have been challenged once again to read “The Brothers Karamazov” as one of the top 100 books every person should read in their lifetime. There are many compelling reasons for placing the book in this elite position and many would argue for its inclusion as it deals with many of the great issues of life, love, and faith that thinking adults are prone to contemplate. I am pondering taking another turn at this famous novel, this time bringing with me a lifetime of experience that has made me aware of the great issues and questions of life.

If I have a bone to pick with many upper level History and literature books, it is that they do not always identify what great issues are being addressed in the pages and pages of text that are provided. I always made a point to never promise my young History students that they would leave my class with all the answers. I did hope that they would take away an understanding of what the great questions were. One cannot appreciate an answer unless one understands the question. Reading the book of Romans is daunting to a young reader unless one understands that there is great tension between faith and works and a history of debate as to what is the real basis of salvation.

What I would like to do is challenge my readership with coming up with a list of the 20 top questions or issues of our day be they theological, social, economic, political, or environmental. We have just been examining the question of the basis for human dignity. It is a question for our age because of the challenge of secular, Darwinian humanism. Former generations never even questioned this because there was such wide agreement. Not now. So what issues would you nominate as the top 20 questions facing this next generation? I encourage you to submit your entries as a comment. Try to focus them as tightly as possible preferably no more than 100 to 200 words max. We will then comb through them, and our staff will argue the top finalists. Feel free to submit 1, 5, or all 20.

It is my hope to use this as fuel for thought and direction in our middle and high school classes. It will be a curriculum that is problem driven by the challenges our children will actually have to face.