Holy REAPing

 

As this week’s blog is being posted, RenewaNation will be in Pikeville, Tennessee hosting a group of Christian educators and administrators at our REAP “Sowing for the Harvest” 2021 Conference.  With guest speakers Dr. Roger Erdvig, Dr. Keith McCurdy, Jeff Keaton, and several presenters conducting biblical worldview subject matter immersion workshops, this year’s conference attendees will experience an inspirational and equipping time of renewal. Since its November, God-driven, inception, REAP has flourished into a powerful biblical education game changer.  This God-sized vision is potentially poised to be the “Cloud & Fire Pillar” for Christian educators.  Having witnessed God’s divine orchestration of gifted, collaborative resources, we marvel at what has been accomplished by a small group of obedient disciples and a limited number of loaves and fishes.

While it definitely should not surprise those of us who have studied and experienced God’s magnificent multiplication, we admittedly have walked these last several months with hopeful anxiety.  Jeff Keaton, founder and CEO of RenewaNation, recently cited Philippians 4:4-7, in our eNews entitled “Do Not Be Anxious About Anything”. In his article, he rawly discussed the error and sinfulness of living in that fashion. Instead, faith and trust in God’s ever-present help should dictate our next wobbly or confident steps. Fast forward to present day, and here we are enveloped by the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, worshipping our unshakable, ever-present Savior, while breaking fallow strongholds and replacing them with life-breathing best practices. 

The RenewaNation Educator Advancement Program (REAP) was conceived by righteous, God-inspired motives to Inspire, Equip, & Transform biblical education.  Although the following letter was written to sincerely welcome REAP’s conference participants, it genuinely illustrates the past, present, and future of God’s intended vision.  

Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; 

break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, 

that He may come and rain righteousness upon you. Hosea 10:12

Dear Christian Educator,

Welcome to the RenewaNation Educator Advancement Program 2021 “Sowing for the Harvest” Conference.  During a colorful, crisp, mid-November morning, our Heavenly Father placed Hosea 10:12 on our hearts.  With it, He cultivated a monumental vision.  Imagine a comprehensive Biblical Education symposium that aids with Inspiring and Equipping Educators and Administrators in Biblical Worldview immersion, as well as providing a well-spring of biblical education resources that Inspire, Equip, & Transform.  This God-sized vision and mission is known as REAP.

There is a volatile battle being waged for the hearts and minds of our youth. Cultural and political agendas and fallacies are being thrust upon our youth through media and public classrooms.  Now, more than ever, we as Christian educators are responsible for equipping students in the ways of our Lord.  Practically, what does that look like?  Our students first and foremost must know God and, through every subject matter, meet Him more intimately.  Every child must be trained on how to effectively communicate to a lost world. No longer are we to prepare our students to just defend their faith. They must be equipped to stand firm on biblical truth and share the gospel. From PreK through 12th grade, we are responsible for saturating every facet of our school’s programs with Biblical Worldview.  

As surrogates of every child’s life preparation for 180+ days, 

our scriptural mandate is clear:

18 “You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 19 You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 20 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, 21 that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens are above the earth.

Deuteronomy 11:18-20

You have been called to a critical and honorable mission, for every Christian school employee is held accountable for each child that steps through the door.  Collectively, every classroom, gym, and corridor is hallowed ground, for eternal lives hang in the balance and time is of the essence.  Truly understanding the weight in which you bear, REAP’s heart is to walk alongside you.  We at RenewaNation are praying that you will not experience a conference, but encounter an intimate time of renewal and revival.  For the next three days, we humbly suggest petitioning our Heavenly Father to reveal the areas of fallow ground that need to be addressed, spend intentioned time seeking His direction, and reap a fresh focus for biblically educating His children this next school year.  Finally, reflect on the precious faces that are returning to you.  The dedicated Johns, the busy Marthas, doubting Thomases, rejected Leahs, impulsive Peters, brave Esthers, and many more.  

I would like to dedicate this “Sowing for the Harvest” time to Robert Khaleal Coit.  At 14 years old, Khaleal, whose name in Hebrew means crown, had experienced more brokenness than many who have lived a lifetime.  Sacrifices were made in order for him to experience his first consistent year at a school.  In God’s providence, it was a Christian academy.  Quite the comedian, and at times rambunctious, Khaleal was shown abundant patience, love, acceptance, and introduced to Christ.  Through the direct investment of many servants, he accepted the free gift of salvation.  Over a week ago, on a Saturday morning, Khaleal walked into his Savior’s embrace.  As his basketball coach rightly remarked, “We would all be blessed to have a Khaleal in our lives”.  Fellow educators, we do, and so many precious others. May we all strive to prepare ourselves spiritually, emotionally, physically, and educationally so that we may in turn righteously pour into each and every one.

Blessings,

tonya gordon

Director of REAP

Please commit to praying for all God has assembled here in Pikeville.  Our RenewaNation staff is humbly blessed with the honor of pouring into these who have been called to biblical education. Like many other Christian educators across this nation, many of them have navigated an unprecedented school year with a Philippians 4:4-9 mindset and servant leader stance.  May we all take a moment to prayerfully give thanks for their willing sacrifices to continue to biblically sow into our children’s lives this past year, like 14 year old Khaleal to whom our conference is lovingly dedicated. Had it not been for Christian guardians, educators, coaches, and youth leaders choosing to pour into his life despite a pandemic, he might have been eternally lost when he tragically succumbed to injuries from a car accident two weeks ago.

Instead, Khaleal walked into the glory of his Savior’s embrace.  

This is Holy reaping. 

This is biblical education.  

By: tonya gordon

Christian Education: Milestones or Millstones?

 

Photo by: John Byer from FreeImages

And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea." Matthew 18:2-6

Whether a child is being educated at home or school, the journey can be marked by a series of milestones or “millstone moments”. The Cambridge Dictionary defines a milestone as “an important event in the development or history of something or someone’s life”. In biblical times, a millstone referred to an extremely heavy grain grinding mechanism requiring the force of a large animal to move it. This exhibits the ease in which such a tool could sink the source of condemnation.

Scripture is infallible and the only reliable source of Truth. It is also crystal clear on how our Savior regards ALL children and how they are to be treated. Take into account several verses.

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Psalm 127:3

And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.

Mark 10:13-16

"See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven." Matthew 18:10

Ministries involving children, specifically Christian education, should be approached with reverential fear. No calling that has direct access to influencing and molding a child’s or youth’s mind and heart toward Christ should be entered into casually. Whether a homeschool co-op or Christian school, candidates for employment or voluntary service should go through a thorough multi-layered vetting process. Even then, a checks and balances infrastructure should be in place to ensure that sound, biblically-guided accountability is present at all times. The following should be standard qualifications of a Christian educator or administrator.

1. They have a genuine relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ.   

2. They are able to share their salvation testimony and be in agreement with ALL of God’s Holy Word.

3. They should be able to demonstrate how to lead a child to Christ. 

4. They should be able to verbalize what Biblical Worldview is and how it should directly impact education.

5. They should be able to answer positional questions on controversial topics such as social justice, the biblical definition of marriage, and sanctity of life.

6. They should be trained in educational methodologies and pedagogy.

If any one of these criteria are absent or weak, then there should be a serious contemplation of whether the individual in question should biblically educate children. There is simply too much at stake to forgo caution, and hope that training will develop in key areas. Too often, Christian administrators and teachers are thrust into positions of influence out of sheer need and friendly familiarity rather than genuine aptitude and preparedness. As a result, students are the unfortunate beneficiaries of sub-par biblical worldview education and potentially harmful millstone experiences. 

Likewise, Christian school board positions should not be haphazardly filled by individuals who do not have a deep passion for or understanding of biblical education. The responsibility of ensuring righteous leadership of a school is critical to each and every child that is subjected to the policies and counsel of administration. As John C. Maxwell so aptly stated “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” While surface successes and numeric growth may indicate advancement, oversight must be present to make sure the core fundamentals are in place. For example, equality not equity is driving decisions, student athletes are held accountable and shepherded, academic best practices and ethical record keeping are being employed, finances are properly stewarded, professional development is respected and encouraged, and most importantly the spiritual culture is flourishing and supportive of biblical worldview training. If leadership is a mile wide and an inch deep, unethical or apathetic, the school infrastructure will inevitably implode. A Christian school board’s primary function is to implement safeguards to avert such detrimental issues. 

Lastly, a school truly focused on investing in children’s biblical worldview development will exclusively regard and cultivate each student’s strengths and giftings rather than treat them as a collective whole. Leadership must resist falling into the “factory mindset” that is prevalent in compulsory education, and seek to meet the needs of each child in a biblical manner. John Taylor Gatto described it well when he stated, “There is not, nor can there be, a one best way to teach a child; each kid is as different as his or her fingerprint. I’ve often thought that God introduced the anomaly of the fingerprint-or of DNA-to hit us over the head with that fact.” Aside from biblical worldview immersion of subject content, students should be afforded every opportunity to be equipped for and grow toward their individual callings.

The combination of sound hiring practices, a solid Christian school board, and a biblically-aligned intentionality to nurture students establishes a trustworthy and robust biblical worldview institution of learning that will prove steadfast. Such an environment will assuredly produce a thriving biblical worldview journey marked by transformative milestones. Our Lord and Savior modeled biblical education clearly. It is imperative that all Christian education entities are found aligned in every area to His modeling and scriptural guidance on training children. Anything less is detrimental to the purposes of biblical education. There are eternal consequences at stake and time is of the essence.

Author: tonya gordon